World of Patterned History
by ChaosEmperorDragon1999
Summary: In which the world and history of Naruto are altered, and a different path emerges for both the world and the characters because of it. Warnings: OC, FemSasuke, Crossover with other series (Bleach, Death Note, and Higurashi being the main ones to mention), eventual Harem.
1. Prologue

**Dimension X72-1120, World of the Turning Spire**

The dead and the dying can claim no rights.

Smoke rose through the air.

Screams echoed across the battlefield.

Blood stained the once-pristine grass.

And the creature, the Nine-Tailed Fox, roared fiercely.

The body stepped across the battlefield, passing like a ghost through ashes and dust.

The young man looked upward, his blue eyes flickering. "So you're here…"

Raito nodded; he rarely took on such small matters, but he had developed an interest in this world and this man.

Minato rose to his feet. Blood trailed from his body. "I expected the _shinigami _to look more monstrous, somehow…"

Raito's lips curved upward. "We've been doing remodeling recently."

Minato nodded. He glanced at the demon fox. "I need you to seal that."

"Shouldn't I reap its soul, instead?" Raito reached sideways. His arm extended downward. The crimson Zanpakutō glistened in his hand.

Minato shook his head from side to side. "Even if it does escape, it may interfere with that person's plans…"

"You're a comfortably numb sort, aren't you?" Raito remarked coolly. His brown slacks and jacket blew backward in the wind.

"Separate the yin and yang _chakra_. Bind the yin _chakra _within yourself, and the yang _chakra _within my son."

Raito smirked faintly. "I'm afraid it doesn't work that way… You will have to accept the yin _chakra _or nothing."

Minato blinked. "Why?"

"The way the kid is now, inserting the yang _chakra _will simply kill him in an instant or so. For that reason it is unwise to risk it."

Minato frowned. "As opposed to the mind, I gather?"

"He is an infant. Given proper examples, it is possible for his mind to be reconstructed. It is also possible that the Kyuubi may be influenced by the growing child…"

"That's absurd."

"You have a purpose in sealing away the spirit in the boy. It is not impossible for yin _chakra _to be influenced in this manner." Raito shrugged his shoulders.

The sword slashed out.

The Kyuubi retreated into the sword.

Raito cut downward, pressing the tip of the sword against the infant's forehead.

A drop of blood formed on the forehead.

The battlefield glistened with crimson blood.

"Well, at any rate, it's a shame about your wife. Do you want to meet her in Seireitei?" Raito questioned, extending his sword.

Minato nodded after a moment.

The sword cut forward.

Minato dissipated into mist.

Raito turned sideways. His brown eyes flickered momentarily red. "Don't bother following… I'll be busy, anyway."

'Madara's eyes widened.

The air turned pure scarlet.

Blood oozed from 'Madara's mask.

Raito turned. He lifted his sword, wiping away the blood gently. "Time to leave."

'Madara' turned his eyes sideways, his eyes narrowing.

Crimson energy filled the air.

"Damn…" 'Madara's shoulders relaxed after a moment. "Fine, little boy. I'll leave you in peace for now."

The grasslands glowed with flame.

'Madara' vanished through warping and twisting space, his mask glowing with the energy of his power.


	2. A Thief in the Night! First Mission

A rooster crowed, signaling the rising red sun in the distance.

Rays of pink painted the sky brightly.

The scarlet paint on the stone dried slowly in the heat.

A bright moustache twirled around the face of a young man with bright hair and a light headband.

Two horns twirled around a stern-faced man's forehead.

A mask covered the face of the second to the right.

The third to the right, a young man with a short beard and calm eyes, lay painted in geisha makeup.

Laughter echoed over the hot morning sky.

A boy leapt between the gaps in the statues.

Bright orange flashed across the gap.

The boy let the paint cans drop into the lake, cackling.

An arm wrapped around the boy's arm.

The boy turned, revealing blue eyes beneath a shock of blond hair.

The Anbu looked downward, black eyes flickering behind a lion mask. "How… interesting," he remarked after a moment.

"You should just let me go. It's not like I hurt anyone."

"As you wish." The Anbu released Naruto's shoulder.

"Ah… Uwah!" Naruto toppled over the edge of the mountain.

Another Anbu, a man whose face lay hidden behind a tengu mask, reached out and caught Naruto.

The first Anbu looked downward, his face still hidden. "Bring him to the Hokage."

"Right." The second blurred away.

The passage felt like an eternity.

Flames flickered within the mud-and-stone enclosure of the tower.

A small shrine sat in the corner of the room.

Hiruzen scowled, running his hand through his beard. He tilted his head to one side, regarding the boy like a beloved family pet that kept tearing up the furniture.

The boy looked back innocently.

"Why, Naruto-_kun_?" Hiruzen asked finally.

"Why what?"

"You know—" Hiruzen exhaled, calming his rising temper and lowering his voice. His temper had been much, much worse in his youth. "You know what I mean," he repeated in a calmer tone. "The defacing of the Hokage. Why do you persist in playing pranks like this?"

Naruto looked upward, smiling. "Aren't you the one who taught me, _jii-chan_?" He adjusted his arms in the grip of the Anbu, wincing slightly.

"Yes, but that's not the point—and don't change the subject!" Hiruzen exhaled and inhaled, counting to five. "I taught you those things to make friends, not to alienate the villagers and act in mean-spirited ways. What do you think the Hokage are to this village, anyway?"

Naruto exhaled. "They're the greatest heroes the village has ever known," he recited in a bored voice. "But none of them are gonna matter, because I'll surpass all of them."

Hiruzen blinked.

The tengu-masked Anbu snorted. "Yeah, right. Like that could—"

"Please, Seijutsu-_san_." The lion-masked Anbu glanced toward the boy. "It is possible, however unlikely."

"You have quite a long way to go before surpassing the Second and Fourth Hokage, let alone me." Hiruzen sighed, rubbing his fingers in circles around his temples. "Penitence, humility, and charity are all virtues before the spirits, and you possess almost none of them."

Naruto looked sullenly away from the trio.

"If you would only listen—but no, I cannot ask a kami of nature to transform the way things are. Since you show no repentance for this, please clean off the statues before tomorrow."

Naruto scowled. "There's no way I'll do that!"

Hiruzen's eyes narrowed dangerously. He rose from his throne. "Won't you?" he asked in a loud voice.

**Wakefulness**

"Hey, Naruto!" a loud voice called up the side of the mountain.

Naruto groaned. "What is it?" he demanded, rubbing the rag along the red lipstick on the Third Hokage's face.

The black-haired boy rubbed his hair, his ponytail bobbing slightly. "Class was a drag, so I decided to come out here and see how you're doing. How's it going?" he asked, sitting down on a nearby rock.

"Terrible," Naruto replied, wincing as he scooted to the other side of the statue. "I've got one of those headaches from not sleeping; someone feeds the migrating geese well…" He pointed meaningfully at green stains in his hair.

"Oh." The boy glanced upward, grimacing. "Want some help getting that out?" he asked.

"It's fine." Naruto sighed quietly. "I'll fix it up tomorrow."

"Tomorrow may be a bit troublesome," the boy conceded, studying the stone faces. "You remember, right?"

"Sure. Wednesday…"

"Exam day," the boy corrected, rubbing the back of his head.

Naruto's eyes widened. "What?!" he demanded in shock. His foot slipped. "Uwah!" he screamed, tumbling downward.

Sighing, the boy held out his arms, catching Naruto in them. "You don't mind if I take over, right? I'm pretty good at not being noticed, and it's too much of a drag to study anyway."

Naruto sighed. "Fine, Shikamaru. Though I probably won't study either."

"Sleep's good enough." Shikamaru reached upward, taking the rag and balancing on the stone. "Just get some sleep…"

Red paint descended into the lake.

Naruto turned away. "Thanks, Shikamaru," he declared, knowing that his friend would do a thorough job despite his complaining.

Shikamaru grinned. "Hey, no problem."

**Wakefulness**

The stone amphitheater roared with energy.

Naruto's hands clapped together rapidly. _It's only the Clone Technique! I've done way better than usual on the other sections. I can make it; I can definitely make it! _His hands clapped together one final time.

A clone formed on the air. Unable to breathe, the clone collapsed to the ground, choking.

Naruto blinked. "Uh-oh," he remarked.

Iruka glanced down at the test papers.

"Gyahaha!" a pink-haired girl with a large forehead cackled, pointing at Naruto with a grin.

"Shut up." The black-haired boy folded his arms, turning his gaze to the scoreboard. _How disgraceful…_

"If you say so, Sasuke-_kun_," Sakura remarked with small hearts in her eyes.

A white-haired girl looked downward, her eyes quiet as she studied the figure. She ran her hand over the surface of her short hair.

_Maybe, with the other sections, it'll be just enough… he did pretty well previously. _Iruka marked down a five in the slot. "Okay. Next is Kōju-_san_…"

The white-haired girl rose to her feet.

**Wakefulness**

Cherry blossoms drifted through the air.

The exam board flickered brightly, the paper slightly yellowed by age.

Naruto looked upward, his eyes wide.

Uzumaki Naruto, Fail, the last entry read in flowing script.

Naruto couldn't feel his extremities. Tears rushed down his face. He knelt. He wanted to get up, run, do something besides look at the graduates. It didn't matter what he did—even studying those stupid books would be better than this. He needed to do something. Tomorrow he'd have passed. Somehow.

"Hey, isn't that the kid?" a calm voice asked. Glasses glinted on the person's face.

"Don't you have a clue how to keep your damn mouth shut?" a woman with a headband questioned, her red hair flowing backward.

The pair moved away.

The sun lowered in the sky.

A faint sensation pressed against Naruto's back.

Naruto whirled around. "What do you want?" he demanded aggressively.

The small-bodied girl from earlier—Kōju-_san_, was it?—bowed her head slightly as she patted Naruto on the back. She released Naruto's back as soon as Naruto turned around. She reached downward, drawing up a white flower from the grass. "Here. Take the flower."

Naruto took the flower warily, as though expecting poison. He paused a moment as he looked downward.

Kōju had deep green eyes, like the depths of the forest outside Hidden Leaf, and they bore a striking intelligence. She patted Naruto's arm ineffectually. "Uzumaki-_kun… _Are you certain that you want to be a _shinobi_?"

"Of course," Naruto responded with no hesitation.

"You have poor grades. You are not good at learning. Your work ethic is strong, but your wit slows you and therefore you fail most intelligence-gathering exercises. In addition you have poor _taijutsu _and _ninjutsu _skills, to say nothing of your nonexistent skill at _genjutsu…_" Kōju spoke the words in a calm voice.

"Rrgh." Naruto gritted his teeth. His fist clenched. "That's true, but—"

"I will ask again. Bearing these things in mind, are you certain you want to be _shinobi_? Perhaps this event was a sign of a truer profession for you." Kōju spoke in the same level tone.

"I have to be a _shinobi, _because I can't be Kage until I have been a _shinobi_. So yeah, I have to be a _shinobi_," Naruto retorted calmly.

"In that case… let me offer you a suggestion." Kōju raised her finger. "The teacher, Umino-_sensei, _is a friend of yours. The test results are not made official until tomorrow, I think you will find. For this reason, if you get a high enough test score on clones—your worst category, if I saw right—you can become a _genin_. You have time to demonstrate a better version of the technique." She smiled, her heart-shaped, serious face lighting with enthusiasm.

Naruto's eyes widened. "Whoa. You're right… Wait. Why are you helping me?" he asked suspiciously, his eyebrows furrowing. He leaned closer. "This isn't some kind of trick, is it? Like if I try again and fail, I can't become a _genin _or something?"

Kōju sighed. "Your suspicion is understandable, given your past… but I don't like seeing people unhappy. Seeing people sad makes me sad, really. I have high empathy. So for me, I don't like seeing such cruel things as a failure. Please… succeed."

Naruto grinned. "All right! You bet I'll be the best _shinobi _ever!"

Kōju giggled behind her hand, suddenly looking young and girlish again.

A shadowy figure ducked behind a nearby tree.

**Wakefulness**

"Clone Technique!"

The smallest of flames lit the trees, firelight flickering between the forest trees slowly.

Naruto gritted his teeth. He clapped his hands together. "Clone Technique!"

A shadow emerged from the forest.

"Clone—"

The hand landed on Naruto's shoulder.

Naruto spun around.

Mizuki looked downward, his face inquiring.

"Emperor, Mizuki-_sensei… _You scared the crap out of me." Naruto glanced around. He leaned back against the tree.

"I understand you'd like to graduate. Is that true?" Mizuki asked, his eyebrow rising.

Naruto glanced downward. "Yeah," he admitted after a moment, as though confessing to a sin. "But I'm still no good at it."

"There is a method by which you may still succeed. In the Hokage's offices, there is a certain black scroll. If you recover it and bring it to me… well, that would demonstrate enough skill to show your ability. Am I correct? You should pass from such a feat of intelligence-gathering, your second-worst skill on the test." Mizuki paused. "Even if it's not—well, what Iruka-_san _doesn't know about how you passed can't hurt him, can it? I could make a little adjustment in the grade." He smiled broader.

"You'd really do that for me?" Naruto asked, his face lighting in a fit of exuberance.

_Of course not. Demon child, who could forgive your sins? When I heard of the plan of the Hokage to preserve your life, I was furious… To involve Hatake-_san _as well is an unforgivable act. By doing this, I smash the faith of those who trust you. As well, I gain the secret techniques of the Midnight Scroll for myself. In this way I gain authority… No part of me can forgive you. _Mizuki hid a faint tremor in his heart, even from himself. He nodded. "Of course. Get to it."

Naruto grinned. "All right!" He leapt away through the trees, bobbing through branches. "Thanks, _jii_!" he called over his shoulder.

Mizuki's face turned red. _Brat! I'm not that old!_ He exhaled slowly. _No, it's fine. Everything's just fine._

**Wakefulness**

The room lay silent and deserted.

A clicking noise sounded through the door.

After a moment, the door swung open.

Naruto poked his head into the room. Nervously, he glanced from side to side of the room. His blond hair flickered in the firelight from far below.

The wind blew through the room, a sigh of flames.

Naruto entered, hearing no motion, half-expecting Hiruzen to appear.

Hiruzen did not appear.

Naruto stepped closer to the desk.

The desk drawer lay locked, a heavy padlock covering the outside.

Naruto groaned. "Great…" He reached down to his pouch.

A set of lock picking tools lay inside the pouch.

Naruto forced the lock open with the tools.

The drawer slid open.

A black scroll bound in black wax and silver thread lay on the surface of the drawer. Shadows flickered around the scroll.

Naruto reached upward, drawing out the scroll.

Crimson light formed at the bottom of the drawer.

Naruto's eyes widened. "Uh-oh…" He dove backward.

The door lit with crimson flames.

"Youch!" Naruto declared, pulling back his hand quickly and breathing on the flames across his hand. "Okay, I was hoping to avoid getting attention… Plan B!" He dove out the window.

Five pillars of crimson light cut through the forest outside.

Flames raced across the ground.

"Aiee!" Naruto leapt backward, gripping the scroll tightly. "So much for stealth!"

**Wakefulness**

Screams of terror echoed across Hidden Leaf. Flames rushed across the ground, steady pillars of crimson flame cutting through the space.

"I haven't felt this much power since the Kyuubi attacked…" Iruka gritted his teeth. "Mizuki-_sensei_, what on earth is going on?"

"I have no idea." Mizuki turned his gaze away, his eyes slightly wide. _I may have overstepped myself slightly. What on earth is in that scroll with such power, after all?_

"Listen to me!"

A voice boomed across the forest.

_Hiruzen-_san… Mizuki blinked. _Whatever I stole must be very important indeed._

"The worst situation has occurred. Someone has stolen a scroll dating back to the first days of Hidden Leaf, and I can no longer seal off the wards. Bring him and the scroll back to me, or Hidden Leaf will be razed to the ground." Hiruzen paused. "That is all."

Iruka bowed his head. _Whoever that moron is, he's gonna get torn to pieces…_

**Wakefulness**

Flames crackled across the ground.

Stone melted beneath the furious gaze of the flames.

Ink glistened in the firelight.

"Come on…" Naruto gritted his teeth, studying the kanji girding the scroll. "Okay. Focus _shakra _like so, divide it… What the hell is shakra?" He folded his arms, attempting the gestures.

The flames fell.

Burning embers scattered across the ground.

"Come on!" Naruto placed his hands together, his fingers forming a cross.

A puff of smoke appeared beside Naruto.

"I'm about to die here, aren't I?" Naruto asked wearily, not hearing the motion.

The tree fell.

The clone caught the tree, diverting its path enough for Naruto's survival. "Get going, boss!" the clone declared, wincing as it vanished beneath the tree.

Naruto blinked. "Huh?"

Smoke spread from beneath the fallen tree.

"Interesting…" Naruto remarked, his eyes widening.

A blade shot out of the undergrowth.

Naruto ducked downward.

The blade passed through Naruto's hair.

"You really are trouble, you cretin." The sword retracted. Sasuke stepped out of the shadows, his body trembling. His arm drew out a scroll, his eyes narrowing. "To think it was like this! You'd even abandon your own village for success!"

"What are you talking about? I'm going to give the scroll to Mizuki-_sensei _the second I'm done with it."

"Enough lies!" Sasuke slammed his hand into the ground. A scroll unfurled rapidly.

A long kama appeared in the scroll with a puff of smoke.

Sasuke gripped the hilt of the blades rapidly. He rushed forward, spinning sideways in a moment. "You're planning to go to another village. Hidden Sand or Hidden Cloud, maybe. In exchange for becoming a _genin_… You cretin…" His arm slashed forward.

Naruto ducked under the whirling blade. "If you'd just listen to me for a second," he claimed. Deciding attack was the best portion of defense, he rushed forward, tackling Sasuke into the ground.

Sasuke's eyes widened.

_Soft…? _Naruto's mind slowly reasoned, placing two and two together. "You're… a girl?" he asked, his eyebrows furrowed. "But…"

A chill wind emanated from Sasuke's body.

Naruto swallowed hard.

"I don't have to leave you alive; you know… that wasn't in Sarutobi-_sama_'s instructions. Do you have any last words before I cut you into pieces?" Sasuke asked, reaching downward and dripping blood on the scroll again. Her palm slammed against the ground.

"It was an accident; believe it!" Naruto clapped his fingers together. Several shadow clones appeared around the clearing. "Run for it!"

The group scattered.

Sasuke's eyes narrowed. "Cretin…" she muttered, ignoring the slight flush in her cheeks. "I'll just hunt them down one by one." A thin spiked chain appeared on the scroll. Grasping the chain, she rose to her feet. "You can't escape, you hear me?!" she declared in a louder voice, her eyes narrowing. "I'll find you, all of you, you idiot!"

**Wakefulness**

The flames rose through the forest. Smoke blew into the clearing.

Naruto exhaled. Panting, he glanced over his shoulder. _Girls are really scary…_

Iruka rushed into the clearing. He stared at the black scroll, his mind putting two and two together.

"Hey, Iruka," Naruto declared cheerfully, sweat dripping down his brow. "Do I pass?"

"YOU'RE THE THIEF?!" Iruka roared, his eyes blazing. "YOU IDIOTTTTT!" His head grew larger.

"I just did what Mizuki-_sensei _told me to!" Naruto protested, glancing over his shoulder.

_Mizuki-_sensei…? _Surely Naruto-_kun _is mistaken… _Iruka glanced upward, warned by a feeling of motion.

The shuriken spun over the trees.

Iruka gritted his teeth. Blood trickled from between his fingers as he gripped the shuriken.

Mizuki tugged on the chain.

"Like this, you won't be able to act as you'd like. Why?" Iruka spat. A drop of blood wept from the hand.

"That brat…" Mizuki lifted his hand. He released the end of the chain, his eyes narrowed. "I had every right to ensure he didn't pass. His other scores were good—but if he could produce a mere two clones, all that went to waste. He might actually get a retest. And that that demon could pass?! UNACCEPTABLE!"

_That shuriken of his… it probably isn't the only weapon in Mizuki's arsenal. Though he focuses on it… I'm too out of it due to my weapon injuries… _Iruka glanced at Naruto.

Naruto glanced at Iruka. "Two clones, huh?" He frowned in consideration.

"Naruto-_kun_… Take this guy down, and I can get you to pass." Iruka looked upward.

"He called me a demon. What's with that?" Naruto asked, his eyebrows furrowing.

"What the hell does it matter? He's a liar… there are truths the village hasn't told you. I'll tell you after he's…" Iruka exhaled. In this matter there was no choice.

Flames flickered higher.

Mizuki's lips curled upward.

"After he's dead."

"Okay." Naruto nodded firmly. He placed his fingers in a cross position.

Three copies appeared rapidly.

"After he's dead? That's a rather amusing turn of phrase. I don't think I'll die here." Mizuki smiled, lifting his hands. "The reality is that all the two of you add up to be is zero. Two zeros are still zero. And I can obliterate you using that method…" His hands clapped together rapidly. "Flame Style: Melting Pot!"

Flames rushed over the clearing.

Iruka leapt upward, balancing on a tree branch.

Naruto wiped at his face, soot coming away from the surface. The flames passed below his tree. _Damn. _He clapped his fingers together. "Shadow Clone Technique!"

A hundred Narutos stood around the edge of the clearing.

Mizuki's eyes widened slightly. After a moment, he laughed. "Naruto-_kun_, surely I taught you better than that. No matter what number you multiply zero by, it is still zero…"

"I am not zero. I am someone! UZUMAKI NARUTO!" Naruto shouted. "I am the one who's gonna surpass all the previous Hokage!"

Mizuki sighed theatrically. "This little show of ours has gone on too long. It's time to bring down the curtain." He tugged on the shuriken.

Slickened by blood, the shuriken slipped out of Iruka's hand.

Iruka gasped.

The flame pillar cut closer.

Naruto's eyes narrowed. He looked up at the pillar. He looked down at Mizuki. A thought crossed Naruto's mind.

"Well?!"

Naruto clapped his fingers together.

A thousand clones appeared around the clearing.

Mizuki gasped.

The clones landed on top of Mizuki.

"Let go of me, you demon bastard! LET GO!" Mizuki shouted.

Wind blew along the grass.

Naruto's clones tightened their grip.

Mizuki screamed.

The pillar engulfed Mizuki.

Mizuki vanished into ashes as the flames engulfed his body.

Naruto screamed loudly, running his fingers through his hair. "Ouch!" he shouted, running his hands across his body.

"Naruto-_kun_, you're fine. Let's go return this." Iruka lifted the scroll.

**Wakefulness**

The dark office creaked. Wind blew through the curtains.

The drawer closed and locked.

Hiruzen nodded gravely. "Done." He clapped his hands together.

The crimson pillars, one by one, winked out.

"Sorry, _jii-chan_." Naruto bowed his head. "I screwed up, didn't I?"

Hiruzen sighed. "Big-time. However, Mizuki is dead, and the scroll restored… you did well enough by the village. I don't believe there were any casualties. I would advise you not to make a habit of it, however."

Naruto nodded slowly. "About the demon…"

"Yes." Hiruzen harrumphed. "Iruka-_san_, step outside."

Iruka nodded.

"Twelve years ago, the Kyuubi was sealed… but, like other Tailed Beasts, it required a living vessel. An animal or beast would have been easily overcome by the power of the fox." Hiruzen reached forward, tapping Naruto's stomach. "That 'birthmark' there of yours… That is where its yin _chakra _was sealed."

"Whoa. Back up a second. The demon fox is…?" Naruto glanced downward, his eyes wide.

"Yes." Hiruzen inclined his head. "That is correct."

"So… I'm the demon fox?" Naruto's eyes widened. _No way… no wonder Mizuki hates me._ He blinked away a tear. "I'm not even me anymore…"

"There are some who say that." Hiruzen turned his gaze out to the village. "Some say you'll rampage. Disrespect authority. Spit on tradition. Things like that are what is expected of you by the civilian population and many of the _shinobi _population… Power is not respected so much as kindness, and it is expected you will not be kind."

Naruto looked downward, weighted down by depression.

"Prove them all wrong."

Naruto looked upward. Slowly a smile crossed his face.

"Now, then…" Hiruzen coughed. He removed the test from the piles. "Let's see. Adding six points for shadow clones, and two points for intelligence-gathering exercises, you…" He hesitated, his face falling slightly.

Naruto gulped.

"Pass." Hiruzen clapped Naruto on the shoulder. "Get to bed. Tomorrow begins team introductions."

Naruto grinned broadly. "Great!"

Hiruzen smiled.

Naruto looked over the village. _Yep… Tomorrow's a new day, all right!_


	3. New Teammates, Trouble Ensues!

A/N: Updates will occur on regular Thursdays, come rain or shine. Thank you all for reading, and I hope you continue to enjoy the story as it unfolds! Now, on with the story.

**New Teammates, Trouble Ensues?!**

The stone amphitheater glistened. Several melted stones girded the exterior of the amphitheater, forming a line facing in the direction of the center of the village. Students sat around, talking animatedly as they gesticulated. Most of the seats remained standing. White stone shimmered in the light of the sun.

Naruto took a seat at his usual spot. Sighing, he looked forward.

Shikamaru brushed by, a faint grin crossing his face. "Hey, Naruto-_kun_. Looks like you pulled it off after all."

"Shikamaru, I want you in my team!" Naruto declared, extending one hand.

"Doesn't work that way." Shikamaru yawned. "It's a pain, but the Ino-Shika-Cho team happens every generation. If it was up to me, I'd ask to switch you out for Ino," he whispered, leaning closer. He winked. Pausing only a moment, he hurried forward.

Naruto sighed. _No Shikamaru. I'm gonna feel awful today. _He sighed after a moment. _Well, at least I'll only have to deal with someone like that one more day._ His gaze turned to Sasuke.

Sasuke set her books down heavily at Naruto's table.

Naruto blinked in shock. "Huh?" he asked intelligently, looking up at the girl.

Clearing her throat, Sasuke glanced away, her books settling on the table.

"Oh!" Hearts in her eyes, a pink-haired girl rushed forward, her body spinning. "Come on! Move, Naruto! I want to sit next to Sasuke-_kun_!" she stated, her furious eyes belying her calm tone.

"You're annoying, Sakura-_san_. Sit down elsewhere." Sasuke spoke flatly, her voice deepening slightly as she spoke.

Sakura deflated. She turned, her shoulders slumped, and sat down at another table.

"You're very cruel," Naruto hissed, his expression souring as he stared at Sasuke.

"Would you prefer that I showed her my true form? No, on second thought, you probably would, you pervert," Sasuke remarked, her lips turning upward in amusement. "Ero-_nin_."

Naruto's eyes widened. "That's not—you take that back!" he demanded, standing upright and slamming his hands against the stable.

"Sit down and shut up!" Iruka bellowed, his voice echoing through the amphitheater.

Naruto's teeth gritted. He sat down, staring murderously at Sasuke. "That was an accident," he declared sullenly.

"I'm willing to acknowledge the possibility. Hence the fact that I'm not dueling you instead of sitting here. However…" Sasuke paused. Her black eyes narrowed as she looked up from her books. "You're not sitting with us, number one."

"But I want to sit here." Kōju smiled faintly. She held out her books toward the end of the table. "Besides, you're anxious not to have your secret revealed, right?"

Sasuke blinked. "Well." Her eyes glanced downward. "Fine. Sit down and quit bothering me already."

Kōju sat. Her green eyes turned to Naruto, studying his face silently. Her arms folded, the neutral grey robes pushing up on her arms.

Sakura's head slumped.

Sasuke exhaled. "As I was saying, I want to declare a truce." She ran her finger along the side of the notebook. "I don't want to keep fighting over stupid things. Your theft was an accident. I forget about it, and you forget about what you learned." A flush crossed her face as she glanced at Naruto's hand.

Naruto blinked in confusion. "What?"

"This—" Sasuke touched the side of her chest briefly. "Don't speak a word of my true nature. My wish is to avoid—"

"Yah!" Kiba launched himself forward, his arm shooting out toward the figure.

Naruto's eyes widened. "Sasuke! Get back; he's—"

Sasuke's mouth opened.

Kiba's elbow slammed into the back of Sasuke's head.

Sasuke's head shot forward.

The crowd fell silent.

"Finally got a hit in on you, bastard!" Kiba declared, grinning broadly.

Naruto gulped slowly, looking up at the figure with wide eyes. He tasted a faint hint of mint, fresh and plucked from the garden.

Sasuke's black eyes narrowed. Slowly, she removed her lips from Naruto's lips.

Kōju's eyes glinted, unnoticed by the others.

"YEAH!" Ino shouted from the back of the classroom.

A drop of sweat ran down Shikamaru's forehead. _I'm stuck with a yaoi fangirl. I have an interesting few years ahead of me, don't I_? he thought to himself.

A chill wind filled the air.

_Huh?! _Naruto turned around, his eyes wide. _I sense something bad!_

"Naruto… you're really…" Sakura cracked her knuckles fiercely, preparing for battle.

Sasuke blurred in front of Naruto, putting up her hands defensively. "It wasn't his fault," she stated, her cheeks still flushed.

Sakura blinked. "But," she stammered, shocked by the woman's words.

"That guy, on the other hand." Sasuke turned. She stared coldly at Kiba. "Hope you're ready, mutt. You just made me lose my precious first kiss."

Kiba gulped.

Iruka sighed. "Take it outside, you two. I'll need you both to speak with me after regarding team assignments."

Ten minutes passed.

Kiba returned, wiping at wounds on his body.

Sasuke returned, her body pristine and unmarked by wounds.

Iruka's eyes widened. "Kiba, you're late for your team!"

"But I—"

"Run fifty laps around the edge of Hidden Leaf!" Iruka ordered, his face stern. He glanced at Sasuke. "On the other hand, you got here on time for hearing your team."

Sasuke returned to her seat. Her cheeks flushed as she glanced sideways at Naruto, and then quickly looked away again.

Naruto swallowed.

Kōju's eyes glinted again.

"Team Seven…" Iruka coughed quietly.

Kōju leaned forward.

"Is…"

Naruto tensed. _Is this finally it? Am I getting picked?_

"Uzumaki Naruto…"

_Please let me be in another team, _Sasuke prayed silently, her heart pounding. _My heart—I don't know how to react around him._

"Hatake Kōju…"

Naruto threw his fist up in the air. "Yes!"

A small smile played across Kōju's lips. She adjusted her robe.

"And Uchiha Sasuke."

Sasuke sighed wearily.

Naruto groaned.

Kōju smiled broadly. "AWESOME!" She danced in her chair, her small hands rising.

"Hey! How can you land Sasuke-_kun_ with such losers? I haven't even seen that girl in here before!" Sakura shouted furiously. _Though she looks pretty cute, there's no way she's a _genin. _Plus, she's way too young to be a genin—how can you compare someone like that with a genius like Sasuke-_kun_?_

Iruka sighed. "It's necessary to attempt to balance the strength of the teams to begin with. Hatake-_san _here is the first place in this year."

Kōju's cheeks flushed slightly. _Saying it like that is embarrassing, isn't it? _She concentrated on the table.

_No way. _Naruto blinked in shock as he stared at Kōju. _But I haven't ever seen her before, after all. Besides that last exam._

Sakura gasped. _So she really did earn her place? Wow! That's just completely crazy!_

"Your Sasuke-_kun _was second place, and Naruto-_kun _was dead last. In this way the teams are balanced in strength rather than overwhelming in power. Two strong sticks can make up for one weak one." Technically, counting in the extra-credit bonus, Naruto was somewhere in the bottom fourth of the class rather than dead last, but as Hiruzen had pointed out calling attention to this fact might draw claims of corruption by the 'demon fox'. Iruka looked upward after a moment. "Team Eight…" He continued in the same way until all the teams had been outlined. "Each of your teams will have a jōnin instructor. You'll be introduced some time later today, probably around five or so." Iruka shrugged diffidently. "At that time, please be present here. For today." He reached into his pocket.

A series of coupon books spilled out of the pocket.

Sasuke blinked.

Shikamaru frowned. "I see. These books probably only work if you have three of 'em, right? What a drag."

"You're correct. You can attend any attraction in Hidden Leaf—and remember, Hidden Leaf is well-noted for its businesses. There's just one slight problem. All three of you have to decide on something together. This is a team-building exercise, to encourage support between you all. Remember this and press on in this manner."

The students dispersed, talking with some enthusiasm.

"Here. Take mine; I'm gonna go train." Sasuke tossed the book toward the pair.

"Hold up!" Naruto declared, shaking his fist. "Don't start acting like you're better than us!" He gritted his teeth, his eyes narrowing. _It's that arrogance I hate, anyway._

Kōju knelt. Her fingers picked up the coupon book from the dust of the amphitheatre.

"I'm not better than one of you." Sasuke's eyes drifted toward Kōju. She paused. Her lip curled upward. "Well, one of you, anyway, and it's for this reason that I have to get stronger."

"Shut up! You should join us. We're supposed to be a team!" Naruto declared, fuming in rage. _It was stupid, anyway._ _Thinking I would work together well with her, how stupid of me!_

Sasuke whirled around. Her eyes narrowed. "Don't talk like you know me. In fact, don't speak to me with such an imperious tone. Do you really think you have the right to address me like that? You don't know a thing about me!"

"I don't know a thing about you. You're right." Seething anger spread from Naruto's body.

Kōju swallowed faintly. "Er, Naruto-_san_..." she started, holding out a hand.

"But how should I know, anyway? You kept to yourself in the academy all the time! Even if I wanted to be acknowledged by you—no, even if I wanted your acceptance—you were always alone!" Naruto shouted, his eyes narrowed.

Several other students turned in surprise at the outburst.

Sasuke stiffened. Her eyes darkened slightly. Her body shook as she stared into space.

Naruto's eyebrows furrowed in confusion. _Huh?_

Kōju leaned forward, her hands outstretched, placating the pair. "You've both said too much, I think."

"No. He speaks correctly." Sasuke looked downward. Her face grew stony. "I am always alone, as he says. But it is not a path I chose for myself."

"Then choose a new one." Kōju smiled. She leaned forward, extending a hand in friendship. "You can always choose a new one. I don't think I'd be angry at you for that action. You'd be happier with friends, wouldn't you?"

"It's not possible for you to become my friends. You're just stones impeding my path. If you get in my way, I'll kick you to the roadside without a second thought." Sasuke's face grew more immobile, less expressive.

Naruto gritted his teeth. "Why, you!"

"Well, tell you what. Naruto-_kun_, where do you want to eat?" Kōju asked with a smile.

"Ichiraku's would be nice." Naruto frowned, considering. He forgot entirely Sasuke's infuriating words. "But then again, if we have the coupons, I can eat at any place in the village at all, but I don't know what I'll like." He paused. "You've eaten at a lot of places, haven't you?"

"Many upon many." Kōju winked quietly. "I can pick out something you'll probably like. I have confidence in that much at least."

Naruto nodded. "Okay. I'll trust you on this one."

Kōju inclined her head. She flipped through the book. "Let's see—Ah! This one is very good!" She pointed out the coupon book. "All right. Sasuke…_san_, the place is called Reika Reika Paradise, so we'll be eating there for about an hour or so. We'll leave a seat open, and since the book covers three entrees per team, you can drop in any time you like. Of course, if you don't show up either, you won't get any of the food."

Sasuke frowned. "Like I'd join you idiots," she muttered. "I already said it. I'm going to go train!" She leapt away into the trees.

Naruto scowled. "That woman." He sighed after a moment. He turned back to Kōju. He didn't need to force a smile; this person had already shown him a genuine personality. "Why did you help me?" he asked after a moment.

"Seeing unhappiness and injustice are for me the worst things in the world. I hate them more than I hate anything else. So, for me, at least, I can't abide seeing unhappiness." Kōju exhaled quietly. "It really is that simple."

"Oh." Naruto looked downward. _It's got nothing to do with me, then._

The pair stood up and began walking to the ice cream shop.

**Wakefulness**

The white-washed table shone. The blinds on the stall blew open, revealing a set of equipment behind the counter. Light reflected off the shining implements. A square box behind the counter contained previous delights made in the place. The interior of the tent cooled the pair, cold through the work of the ice cream.

Scowling, the woman handed the pair two boxes. Muttering something under her breath, she receded into the back of the room.

Naruto glanced after the woman, silent. He understood a lot more about the villagers' reactions after learning that he was indeed the bearer of the demon fox.

Kōju's face lit from its typical dour composition. "MOCHI!" she exclaimed, wrapping her arms around the strawberry box.

Naruto giggled quietly. The serious young _genin _suddenly transformed into a bright young girl as she spun around the box, like a central axis. "You just wanted to come here for this, didn't you?"

"Well, it was this or that cookery downtown, and, well, that only has udon noodles and vegetables or something like that."

Naruto made a face.

"That's what I thought, too. So I said Mochi for sure." Kōju smiled broadly. "Come on. Sit down! You're making me all anxious."

Naruto sat down. He critically inspected the mango Mochi. "Hrm." He pulled open the box at the tabs.

Mochi rested on the plates. Sunlight poured through the blinds of the stall.

Kōju sighed. "Ah. Strawberry is the best. Do you like mango?" she asked, leaning over the table.

"Well, it's not the worst. Kind of a new sensation." Naruto shrugged his shoulders. "I don't think I'd pick it over ramen again, though."

The pair paused in their speech. Several moments passed as the pair silently ate mochi ice cream.

"You seriously think she's gonna come?" Naruto glanced up at the sun, which had risen swiftly in the sky. "It's been like fifteen minutes."

"Sasuke-_san _has a very poor sense of direction." Kōju shrugged. "Or something. I'm sure she'll come along, because that's closer to her true nature than training."

Naruto blinked. _Hm? What's that supposed to mean?_

The blinds lifted swiftly. Sasuke stepped into the stall, breathing hard. "You morons," she hissed, her eyes blazing.

Kōju blinked in confusion.

"You didn't tell me where the place was. I got lost twice on the way here because I didn't have my coupon books." Sasuke sat down at the counter, her face slightly red.

"Oh, but I thought I'd seen you in here before." Kōju smiled.

"That's not it. I don't like sweet things." Sasuke glanced away, her cheeks flushing. "It's not like I wanted to come here, anyway!" She turned to the server. "Coffee, please."

Naruto blinked. _Kōju-_san _was right._

"Well, let's hurry up and finish. We still have a lot to do today, after all!" Kōju remarked, grinning. "Besides, if we're lucky, we can get in some training."

"You have to savor food, idiot." Sasuke lifted the coffee-toned ice cream ball to her lips. "Otherwise it's really no good."

"Can't you just get more later?" Kōju questioned.

"Typical _ojō-sama_. Savor what you have before it's gone." Sasuke tilted her head backward.

Kōju smiled. "Your words aren't misplaced. But they show a little more of your true personality." She sipped the glass of milk. "What you really think of this situation, and your feelings toward us." She swallowed the remainder of the Mochi.

"You. Just. Ugh." Sasuke sighed quietly. She studied the ball, rolling around the Mochi on her tongue. "It's not like. Ugh! Just. Uh." She stared at the plate, swallowing after a moment. "It's not like that. Someone put too many fairytale notions in your head."

Kōju shrugged. "I happen to believe that the real world can be like that." Stiffly, she took a bite of the ball, casting the remainder of the balls into the box.

Sasuke sighed. _Great, now she's in a huff. Well, whatever. _She glanced at Naruto, who gorged himself on the ice cream balls. _Being with these guys might not be terrible._

Naruto grinned after a moment. "I just keep getting hungrier." He scooped out another plate.

Sasuke's eyes narrowed. _Moron. _She swallowed the bite of vanilla ice cream.

The group walked out from the shop after roughly thirty minutes total.

"Where next?"

**Wakefulness**

Books littered the floor, depicting gaudy colors and titles embossed in careful, flourishing calligraphy. The small wooden bed squatted flatly in the corner of the space, covered in a crimson blanket. The blanket depicted a red mangrove, the leaves spreading outward.

"Naruto-_kun_'s apartment. I've organized the other two already; hopefully they will appreciate the deed." The broad-shouldered man smiled. His baby-blue eyes flickered back to the room. "Though likely he will be the most trouble in convincing." He adjusted his long linen robes. Reaching downward, he uncapped and tipped back a bottle of water. His steel glasses glinted in the light. The green garb, fabric sewed tightly together, draped over the massive shoulders tightly.

The white-haired man yawned. He raised one hand over his mouth as his mask shifted. "Well, that's about as expected. Thank you for cleaning up the room, Mura-_san_. Though she is my precious daughter, she can't be bothered to clean."

"Yes. Well, I skimmed through some of the novels to make sure they weren't the same as that Come Come Paradise." Mura paused. Heavily, he inspected the book again. "But you have done well at finding her something without such perversions. Do you have any idea who wrote them?"

"Some Senju person." The white-haired man shrugged. "Or someone using that pseudonym. I hadn't looked into it—but she seemed happy with them." He leaned against the doorframe. "Are you going to meet them at the location?"

"I expect they'll be busy." Clapping his hands together, Mura bowed. "Thank you, Kakashi-_san_." He turned and walked out of the room.

**Wakefulness**

Water splashed over the edge of the hot spring. The stone surfaces dripped with water. Various ofuda making offerings to the heavens and the earth marked the doors, blocking away the shadows beyond the firelight. A mixed bath filled the main section. The bubbles rose through the bath. The faint scent of minerals wafted through the air.

Kōju descended, sighing quietly. "Fu fu. Wonderful." She ducked her head under the water

Sasuke growled deep in her throat. _I don't enjoy this at all, stupid. _Tossing aside her clothes, she descended into the water.

Naruto sighed quietly. He stared up at the sky, his eyes bright.

"So." Sasuke hesitated. It was a stupid question, the question of a girl, not a fighter. "Do you have anyone you like?"

"Yep!" Kōju smiled happily. "Definitely you two." She pointed at Naruto and Sasuke in turn.

Sasuke blinked. "Er. That's not actually what I meant," Sasuke stated, a drop of sweat running down her face.

Naruto tilted his head to one side.

"To have a relationship with in the form of romance, right?" Kōju asked solemnly. "I know what that is."

Sasuke frowned. She tapped her finger against her chin. "But three people can't get into that type of relationship."

"That's stupid," Kōju replied, a grin crossing her face.

Naruto's eyebrows rose. "Ehhh?!" he demanded, his body tensing.

"If I like you two, and you two like each other, and me, of course, then there's no problem, right?"

Sasuke reached upward. Her fingers gripped the edges of her nose. "Naruto, do you want to explain to her why that's completely impossible, or are you still too stunned by it?"

Naruto shook his head slowly from side to side. _Despite her age, she's a pervert._

"What did you have in mind, anyway?" Sasuke asked wearily. "Some kind of 'living in sin' arrangement?"

"No, no! I thought we could start out with dates and maybe… Maybe a little peck on the cheek?" Kōju questioned, pressing her fingers together. "Romantic things like that."

Naruto exhaled. He leaned back in the pool. _That's better, I guess. Still, it's a little worrisome. _He paused, staring up at the sky. _At least the stars are out tonight._

"What did you think I meant?" Kōju asked, her eyebrows furrowing.

"Never mind." Sasuke's cheeks flushed slightly. _Thank the Vizier she didn't know that much, after all. _She looked downward into the water. "What exactly gave you the idea, anyway?"

"This series! Black Current!" Grinning, Kōju slapped the cover of the book.

Sasuke frowned. She reached forward, inspecting the slightly waterlogged pages.

Naruto frowned. "Is that a perv series?"

"It seriously discusses alternative relationship styles!" Kōju declared firmly, losing her temper slightly. "Just because most people hold up monogamous heterosexuality as the golden standard doesn't mean that everyone believes that's the only way."

Sasuke flipped through the pages. "Well, there aren't any graphic depictions of sex, and the characters seem relatively realistic. It feels like a standard shōjo series, if one doesn't count the fact that the two main groups are a group of two guys and a girl and a pair of girls." She frowned quietly. "Though I only know that from glancing through a few on occasion!" she added briefly, her face slightly crimson.

Naruto grinned. "Only from that, eh?"

A sly smile crossed Kōju's face. "Then you don't mind if I leave a few copies on the mission?" _Yes! I can program her to accept such things!_

Sasuke's eyebrows furrowed. _For some reason, even though the onsen is hot, I feel a chill. _"Yes. Yes, I do mind," she replied flatly. "And of course I don't know about such things! It's not as though I regularly read shōjo series!" she barked at Naruto.

Naruto trembled slightly as his thoughts returned to the series. "Two guys?"

Kōju shrugged. "It's very romantic."

_That makes considerably more sense. I see. Since her family was like that, she would read about such things. _Sasuke nodded slowly.

A rustle sounded from the bushes. The leaves bobbed up and down.

Sasuke's eyes narrowed.

Kōju gulped. "Is that a stalker?"

_She's one to talk. _Naruto gestured to the others rapidly, forming Leaf sign language.  
_  
_"Hello, everyone." Mura stepped out from the bushes. His glasses glinted as he looked up at the group. He smiled, brushing down his linen robes. "I'm sorry—it's past five, and I came here looking for you. I should have arrived earlier."

Naruto gulped.

Kōju tensed.

Sasuke lifted her hands in a fighting stance.

"Who're you?" Naruto demanded, his expression serious as he stared at Mura.

"And can't you consider a lady's modesty?" Kōju asked, trembling slightly.

"I'm sorry, again. It seems I have forgotten my manners." Mura bowed. "I am the jōnin instructor who will attend to you all."

Sasuke looked Mura up and down. Her lip curled upward. _He really doesn't resemble a jōnin._

_ This guy probably is a jōnin, but I can't help but feel that he's a little strange._ Kōju sighed.

_He's huge! How's this guy supposed to gather information? _Naruto wondered, his eyebrows furrowing.

Mura sighed, accurately reading their reactions. "By the way, Uzumaki-_san_."

Naruto blinked in surprise. _Huh? Why's he talking to me?_

"You do know how to read expiration dates, don't you?"

Naruto blinked in confusion. "What on earth is that supposed to—" A sudden gastric tremor ripped through Naruto's body. Naruto groaned. "Sorry, guys!" he complained, leaping out of the hot spring sans clothing.

Sasuke's eyes widened. Her cheeks flushed. "Idiot! At least put on boxers or—"

Naruto rushed into the restroom.

Mura's brow dripped with sweat. He sighed quietly. "I'm surprised he lasted that long."

"What do you mean?"

"All the milk in his apartment went bad two weeks ago. They sold him that despite knowing that the expiration date had passed. We've replaced everything, of course, but…" Mura sighed. "Such an ungodly action."

Kōju's eyebrows furrowed. _I stand corrected. This guy is definitely a _jōnin.

Water dripped over the edge of the hot springs.

Sasuke's eyes narrowed. _This guy is worthless trash. Going through someone else's possessions? _"Turn around. I need to get dressed again."

"As we are both men, there's no trouble, right?" Mura remarked in a smooth voice.

"But I need to get dressed too." Kōju turned away, her cheeks flushing.

Sasuke felt a brief thankfulness at Kōju's words; the girl had empathy for her.

Mura turned away delicately.

Sasuke pulled on her jacket quickly, tightening the bandaging around her large chest. "Now. What was that about, sir?"

Kōju hurriedly pulled on her small robes as well.

Mura coughed. "Well, we have to prepare things properly. While we're on the topic, your weapons weren't organized at all; I have taken the time to put them in order by type."

Sasuke's eyes widened in rage.

"Also, I took the liberty of buying you a new book of the series, Kōju-_san_."

Kōju's eyes sparkled with happiness.

"You had no call to snoop around," Sasuke stated in a calm yet cold voice.

"I did. Had I not done so, you would have lived in a situation of complete disorder. On earth as in heaven, one must live in order."

Kōju smiled. "Thank you! A new one came out?" Kōju cradled her arms closer around the book.

"It was released from on the road, apparently. The publishing company kept it quiet. After all, the author is most likely a Senju."

"What is this about?" Sasuke questioned quietly, her eyes narrowing.

"All that passed before today is on a lesser rank than what lies ahead." Mura hesitated slightly. "There are things I must discuss with all of you."

A groan came from the restroom.

Mura sighed. "Though it will take a few minutes, probably." Kneeling, he picked up Naruto's clothing.

Sasuke's eyes narrowed.

Kōju swallowed.

"There's something the village hasn't told you about. I'll answer to that charge, too." Mura sighed after a moment. "Regarding your training as ninja, something else must be answered to."

Sasuke frowned. "What?"

"We'll discuss it over dinner." Turning, Mura walked into the building, dragging behind him Naruto's clothing.

Kōju pressed her fingers together nervously.


	4. Mura Nōtō, Monk of the Fire Temple!

The black fire pit glistened, sparks rising from the center. Food sizzled on the edges of the surface. Various scents arose from the surface of the black circle. The curry boiled loudly, glimmering and shining. Many people ate around the room, casting wary glances at the team.

"Basically, the academy didn't teach you anything at all about your actual role in this world," Mura remarked, clapping his hands together. A ring of beer surrounded the glass on the booth table.

Sasuke's eyes narrowed. "Like you'll do any better?"

"I can make a sincere effort at things." Mura exhaled. He bowed his head, muttering a prayer under his breath as he shuffled around the objects on the table.

Naruto scowled. _Is this guy really a jōnin? He's huge, but I don't see him doing much as a fighter. Big guys like that are easy to beat up._

Sasuke scowled. _Someone this bad is really disinteresting. I don't trust him one bit, after all. An interfering busybody like that. Though..._ She frowned, staring at the table. _What on earth is he doing with the plates?__  
_

Kōju yawned. _Usually I can at least take a nap by this point. Though this guy is a jōnin, I'm really tired. _She rubbed her eyes.

"We'll be using our most traditional method to introduce ourselves." Mura smiled. "Let's see… should I begin as an example?" He extended his hand.

Naruto nodded.

"All right. My name is Mura Nōtō. I am a temple priest and a _jōnin_. I like salmon, celestial order, and clean living. I don't like battle or coffee grounds. My dream for the future—well, I wouldn't really call it a dream…" Nōtō smiled. "But that's neither here nor there… My hobby is doing at least one good deed every day; that's why I was late. A secret about me that no one else knows is that I am not originally from Hidden Leaf. There you are—that's my introduction. Now you three, go ahead."

_Great, a do-gooder. _Sasuke stared out the window flatly, her eyes narrowed.

_ Well, he seems all right with that introduction. _Naruto frowned.

_ Gu… _Kōju snored, a line of drool escaping her mouth.

Glancing between the three _genin_, Nōtō finally spoke again, one eyebrow rising in amusement. "Why don't you go next, Kōju-_san_?"

Kōju startled into wakefulness. "I—er…" She turned her head from side to side.

Naruto grinned. _Serves you right for sleeping in that environment!_

Sasuke gazed out the window, her eyes distant. _At this point, it's more than possible that he's insane. Seriously, I had them organized the way I liked them! What's wrong with that guy? Most people don't have that kind of compulsion, you know._

"Well. Um." Kōju considered a moment. "My name is Hatake Kōju. I am a _genin _of Hidden Leaf. I like friends, ice cream, Black Current, and sleep. I don't like bullying. My dream is to inherit White Fang."

Nōtō's eyes narrowed. _Naturally. _He scooped up a bite of the fish with chopsticks.

"My hobby is reading Black Current. A secret about me that no one else knows… Well, there aren't very many. _Otō-sama _knows most of them, after all." Kōju considered.

Nōtō smiled. "You can repeat something only your father knows for this purpose."

"Oh." Kōju dug into her fish. "In that case I hate the idea of being alone."

Naruto blinked in surprise.

Sasuke frowned, her eyes glancing away from the table. Her expression darkened.

"No. That's inaccurate. I hate being alone with a passion." Kōju inhaled and exhaled slowly. "Isn't it scary?"

Nōtō inclined his head. He gestured for Kōju to go on.

"To be alone. It means no one can save you if something bad happens to you. You're all without friends, without family." Kōju reached upward, wiping away a tear. "It's just so terrible…" She quickly stuffed her mouth with fish.

_Afraid of being alone… for a ten-year-old, that's a fairly common fear. No wonder. _Nōtō paused. He inspected Kōju's face seriously.

Kōju shoveled more fish into her mouth. She didn't look up from her meal.

_Still, at present it would appear that I won't need to keep an eye on her after all… _Nōtō nodded to himself swiftly. _That's good. The other two will probably take the most attending to. _

Sasuke cut away a piece of the fish. Her eyes studied the herbal fish.

"You next, Sasuke-_san_."

Sasuke frowned. "No. I'm not doing this stupid introduction thing."

"You're kind of stupid, aren't you?" Nōtō remarked in a calm voice. "Remember, I am your _jōnin _trainer."

"What the hell does that have to do with anything?" Sasuke demanded sourly.

"If you intend to learn anything from me, you should know that you can't truly achieve any power without my support. To become powerful, you need someone's aid. And I won't train anyone who I can't trust."

"Hn." Sasuke frowned. Her black eyes studied the table. "Fine. Though it's a petulant trainer who won't help a student just because they refuse to introduce themselves. Uchiha Sasuke. I am a _genin _of Hidden Leaf. My likes… I don't have any in particular…" _Fish, rice, ice cream, and... well... _The image of the two teammates came to mind. Face flushing, Sasuke cleared her throat. "My dislikes… a lot of things…" _Sushi, my brother, and most of the villagers who didn't do anything about Akatsuki. _"My dream… I wouldn't call it that, because that makes it seem unachievable. I intend to kill a certain man…"

Nōtō frowned.

Kōju gasped. She covered her mouth with one hand. _How terrible!_

Naruto swallowed. _I hope that's not me._

"I don't have real hobbies." _Singing and _kabuki _theatre are a little interesting, I suppose. But I have no interest in telling him of that.  
_

"And a secret about you no one knows." Nōtō paused, rubbing his chin.

_I'm female?_ "I refuse to answer that question," Sasuke replied, her face flushing slightly.

Nōtō sighed. _Well, he's about like I expected, an avenger to the core. I can't blame him, strictly speaking, given the circumstances of the death of his clan. However, it's not a godly thing to pursue revenge. Let's move on, shall we? _Nōtō tipped back the beer glass."You next, Naruto-_san_."

_Naruto-_san_, huh?! He knows my worth, _Naruto thought to himself, ignoring the fact that Nōtō had referred to the others with the same honorific. "My name is Uzumaki Naruto! I'm gonna be better than the previous Hokage! My likes are girls, ramen, and pranks! My dislikes are power and the villagers who think they're all better than me! My dream is to become Hokage! My hobbies… pranks and fighting bad guys… A secret about me. Hm." Naruto furrowed his brow in thought. "Okay, I got it," he declared after several moments. "I'm the container of the demon fox."

Conversation in the restaurant came to a halt. Many of the adults turned their heads toward the table.

Nōtō sighed, striking his head with two fingers. "Naruto-_san_, I asked you to tell a secret nobody else knew about you, not something that everyone but you knew about yourself."

Naruto blinked. "Really?" he asked, his enthusiasm falling slightly.

"It was made a rule by Sarutobi-_sama _not to speak about it to you. I imagine it was for your own good that they did this." Nōtō exhaled quietly.

The other customers returned to conversation, occasionally casting venomous glances over at the table.

Sasuke blinked. _So that is how he's so strong…_

Kōju yawned. _Boring. Dad already told me._

"To surpass all previous Hokage, hm?" Nōtō asked, his face brightening again.

Naruto nodded with a grin. "Uh-huh!"

"Well, good luck…" Nōtō exhaled. He slammed the glass down on the table. _That boy's grown interesting._

Naruto grinned.

Kōju rubbed her eyes, weary again.

Sasuke gritted her teeth. _This guy…_

"Now then. I did promise something else." Nōtō cut away another section of the fish with the chopsticks.

"Right. You said there was something the village hadn't told us…" Sasuke remarked.

"Yeah…" Nōtō yawned. He swallowed the section of fish. "Basically, all your introductions except Naruto-_san_'s had a major flaw in common…"

Sasuke's eyes widened. _Huh?! I didn't even say anything all that important…_

_ Yes, I did better than those two!_

"Don't get so excited—you had another flaw or two." Nōtō raised his finger.

Kōju swallowed. "Oh. I think I understand now… Oh, dear…"

"Yeah. She's got it." Nōtō drained his beer. "Basically, you guys should have said instead, 'prospective _genin _of Hidden Leaf'."

Sasuke scowled. "What the hell?"

"There's a real exam now… You could call it a test of ability. It's too dangerous to send out _genin _with no ability, so we test for a certain quality. About sixty-six percent fail most years."

Sasuke's eyes widened.

"But, I will say that I'm still the _jōnin _instructor for all of you. It's merely a question of whether you pass or fail." Nōtō shrugged his shoulders.

Naruto gasped.

Kōju exhaled.

"Sorry about that…" Nōtō exhaled. "Anyway, I'd suggest getting an early night's rest and something to eat." He took another bite of the salmon. "Your opponent tomorrow is me…"

"That's insane!" Sasuke blurted out.

_Looks like she's finally taking me seriously… _"The world of the _shinobi _is a completely crazy one." Nōtō sighed. "Look. I've already told you the important thing… Wake up tomorrow at five o'clock and appear at Training Field Seven. Don't be late."

**Wakefulness**

The forest shimmered with the first rays of dawn. A few birds chirped in the branches. The leaves drifted downward. Loam softly caught the motion of other beasts, gentle and memorable. The trees' limbs blew about in the wind, leaves blowing up around the space. Cherry blossoms fell from some of the other trees.

"Tired, moron?" Sasuke asked, glancing at Naruto.

Naruto groaned. He rubbed his baggy eyes. "I had to practice against Nōtō's image, right? So I spent all night doing that and before I noticed the time it was morning…"

Sasuke glanced over at Kōju.

Kōju snored, a bubble of snot emerging from one nostril.

_Great. Just great. Well, forget these incompetents… I'll do it myself… _Sasuke gritted her teeth. _If they're not going to take this seriously, someone has to, don't they?_

"Good morning." Nōtō approached through the forest. His glasses shone in the sunlight. "We'll begin when I say so… There are two bells here. Your job is to take these from me before noon. My job is to stop that from happening. And you'll need to steal it quickly… You can use shuriken or kunai or whatever…" He sat down on a stump. "Probably, at your level, you'll need to attack with full intent to kill me, or there's no hope for you at all."

"Won't you be in danger, _sensei_?" Sasuke asked, her eyebrow furrowing._ One of us isn't passing? If there's only two bells, then not all of us can pass._

"Yeah. We could kill you pretty easily, you know?" Naruto remarked.

Nōtō exhaled. "Well, maybe. If you got lucky, it's possible that I might die…" He shrugged. "I doubt it, though. At your level, you'll probably have a hard time even getting me to breathe hard… you know? Your argument is pretty worthless…" He paused. "At any rate, you can start when I say to start." He reached downward, touching the alarm clock. His eyes widened. "Oh, yes! Here's a tidbit I forgot to mention—I'm so absent-minded, you know? See, you have a time limit of lunch. If you can't get even one bell by then, well, we shake hands, go eat lunch, and you spend another year at the academy again—all three of you. That's the way things are…" He sighed quietly. "Now then."

_Like I'd shake hands after that?! _Naruto launched himself forward. He drew back his kunai, aiming to stab through the arm.

"Naruto?!" Sasuke shouted in shock.

Kōju muttered something softly under her breath, her head slumping to one side.

A flicker of brown energy shot out from Nōtō's hand.

The kunai stopped in midair.

"Huh?" Naruto stared at the kunai, his eyes wide. The fist tightened around the kunai. Naruto gulped. _I can't even budge it… _He tugged at the kunai, attempting to shift its trajectory.

"I didn't say start yet. It surprises me that you're moving to that so quickly, but no matter," Nōtō remarked blandly. "Most people using this form of test don't really care about the quality of their opponent. They're all _genin_… am I right?" He paused. "Well, yes, I am. But… I'm also not the same as them. Against you guys, the number one rookie, the runner-up, and the _jinchuuriki_ of Hidden Leaf, I can't really afford to hold back, so I'll be going at full power from the start."

A moment passed.

"That's it. I said start…"

Sasuke leapt backward. She dove into the bushes, vanishing swiftly.

Kōju stood motionless, completely asleep.

Naruto's eyes narrowed. "You're going down, old man!" He released the _kunai_. _There! With this, I can attack him again!_

"What a troublesome group." Nōtō sighed, rubbing his hair gently.

The _kunai _slammed into the ground.

Naruto gasped in shock.

A small crater formed beneath the _kunai_.

"Yare, yare. Whatever shall I do with you?" Nōtō remarked, his expression remaining calm.

Naruto gritted his teeth. _I don't really get it, but whatever he did to the _kunai _is really serious… I need to avoid getting blocked again like that!_ He leapt backward, his body twisting through the air.

Nōtō looked upward at the sky. "What's wrong, Sasuke-_san_? I've already said our goals. Or is survival not one of them for you?"

_That idiot'll screw me up… I'll wait until he's out of the way. This kind of test is no good for him anyway. _Sasuke stared through the underbrush, her black eyes cold.

Naruto dove into the nearby lake.

Nōtō reached into his pocket.

Sasuke tensed.

Nōtō drew out a yellow-covered book. "Let's see. Current bounties…"

"What the hell are you doing?" Naruto shouted, swinging his arm to one side.

"Reading. It looks like you all aren't going to attack me at once, so I've got a little time to consider things." Nōtō flipped over a page. "Now, let's see…"

Naruto reached into his pocket. His arm shot outward.

Nōtō's arm extended rapidly, touching each of the shuriken in turn.

The shuriken collapsed into the ground.

"Shrine Maiden Entry will not allow you to win."

Craters formed in the ground.

"Now then. Let's see." Nōtō flipped over another page.

Naruto gritted his teeth. _Bastard… I'm not going to lose! _He clapped his hands together in a cross position.

The water swelled momentarily.

Bedraggled, Naruto emerged from the water, coughing fiercely.

Nōtō exhaled. "You seem to be the most determined of your teammates, though it's hard to tell about Kōju-_san_…"

Kōju snored loudly; her shoulders slumped as she stood motionless.

"At any rate, why do you want it so badly?" Nōtō questioned.

"I have to become Hokage. If I'm not a _genin_, I can't become Hokage, so I have to become a _genin!_" Naruto's eyes blazed.

Nōtō nodded. "Admirable, but at your current level you're probably better off not becoming a _genin _at all…"

Naruto's eyes blazed. "I just got unlucky, that's all!"

The stream splashed.

Clones rushed forward onto the bank of the river.

Water splashed across the ground.

Nōtō sighed. "You should know… That technique isn't going to make a difference." He extended his arms outward, lowering his center gravity.

Naruto gritted his teeth. "You sure about that?" He grinned after a moment.

A clone rushed forward.

The bells dangled swiftly beneath the hand.

A clone caught Nōtō's arms.

Nōtō sighed quietly.

Sasuke's eyes widened.

Kōju snored loudly.

_Damn, missing my big entrance like that! Well, whatever! I'll just give her neither of the bells! _Naruto tightened his grip. "I got you!"

"Didn't I tell you already?" Nōtō sighed.

"For earlier! For making me lose my _kunai_! This is my revenge!"

_Not bad._ Sasuke stared at the battle, her eyes flicking from side to side.

A clone rushed forward, fist twisting around and aiming for Nōtō's head.

Nōtō sighed. "You didn't let me finish…"

The fist stopped in midair.

Naruto's teeth gritted.

A flicker of brown energy crossed the fist.

The fist held motionless in front of Nōtō's face.

_This guy actually nearly managed to break my aura. To think he was called dead-last…_ Nōtō's eyes turned. He glanced at the other two. _I'll need to be careful with the front runners._

"What the hell?" Naruto demanded.

"My body can emanate _chakra _at any point within a single foot of my body. Within that radius… any attack will simply stop moving. That's the power of Shrine Maiden Entry." Nōtō shrugged distantly. "Do you understand now?"

Naruto gritted his teeth. "This… doesn't matter! Now that I know how your ability works, I can stop it dead in its tracks by attacking like—"

The shadow clones puffed out of existence, one by one.

Naruto's eyes widened. "…Huh?"

"Did I forget to mention? An object within this field also loses its elemental balance. Something like making shadow clones becomes impossible." Nōtō shrugged distantly. "And, now that it's just you…"

Naruto collapsed to the ground.

A crater formed as the body smashed into the ground.

"Basically, that's what'll happen if you're not careful… Let's move this battle a little." Nōtō leapt through the air swiftly.

_An opening?! _Sasuke hurled kunai toward the body.

The large man moved impossibly fast, dodging both projectiles.

_Damn…!_

The large man's hand chopped into the side of the tree.

The tree fell sideways after a moment.

Sasuke blinked in surprise.

Nōtō balanced again on the stump. "Let's begin again… Sasuke-_san_," he remarked in a calm voice.

Sasuke gritted her teeth. Her hand reached downward. _It's a pity about Naruto, but there's not much I can do about him now. The situation doesn't permit me to do anything about his condition._

The scroll unfurled.

Sasuke slammed her hand to the scroll.

Waves of smoke blasted outward.

_One foot, right? That's the radius. If so… _Reaching downward, Sasuke picked up the blowgun.

Nōtō watched with a calm, distant expression on his face.

_This should be outside the radius. He shouldn't be able to block multiple weapons at once—wait. _Sasuke's eyes narrowed. _That's completely wrong._

Nōtō studied Sasuke calmly.

_He blocked two shuriken earlier. Because of that, it's impossible to tell what his true abilities are in this regard. At the least, I shouldn't make the mistake of rushing in too quickly.  
_

The chain weapon rose.

Sasuke wrapped the chain around her fists. Her hand adjusted the blowgun in her mouth. _If that's so, then my objective should be to figure out his limit._

Nōtō extended his arms, clapping the arms together.

Sasuke gritted her teeth. _Damn him. _Her hands lifted the blowgun. She blew, her fingers adjusting the gun to aim in different directions.

Blow darts shot through the air.

Nōtō's hand blurred upward.

The darts slammed into the ground.

_Damn! That ability is way too powerful!_

Craters formed in the ground around the darts.

_Even though he claims it's completely useless against us to act weak, he's gone over the top, hasn't he?!_

Nōtō brought his hands back together.

Sasuke glanced at the ticking clock on the log.

10:59.

_That cretin wasted so much time! _Sasuke brought her hands together. _Since it's like this… _She inhaled tightly.

Nōtō's eyes widened.

"Flame Style: Great Fireball Technique!"

"Your average _genin _shouldn't have that much _chakra_."

A swelling wave of energy surrounded Nōtō.

Sasuke's eyes widened.

The energy turned pure brown.

Flames shot into the wave.

Nōtō lowered his hands, holding out the hands palm upward.

The flames shot off to the sides and around Nōtō.

Sasuke gasped. _Not even that…!_

"You're decent… but I told you before, didn't I?" Nōtō exhaled. "You're pretty worthless, the way you are right now…"

Sasuke gritted her teeth. _Chain weapon, then. I saw him move his arms earlier to execute that maneuver… if I can get him like that…_

Nōtō exhaled quietly.

Sasuke leapt forward, tugging the chain around the figure.

Nōtō looked up tiredly. "Naruto-_san _already tried this, remember?" He lifted his arms, brown energy surrounding the arms.

Sasuke's eyes widened. _He's right… _She gulped. _Shit…_

Nōtō sighed. "Well, I'm not going to bother… seems you already understand the circumstances. You know it's impossible for you."

Sasuke sank to her knees. A tear escaped her eyes.

"Hey, don't worry… your dream doesn't include being a ninja, right? Though the way you are right now, that dream will remain that…"

Sasuke looked upward, her eyes blazing with rage. Her hands laced together.

"A dream… you get it, right?"

Sasuke roared. "Flame Style: Blossoming Flame Technique!" Drawing in a deep breath, Sasuke inhaled. Her cheeks bulged, sparks flying from the center.

Nōtō sighed wearily.

Flames flickered across the forest.

"Oh, dear." Nōtō extended his fingers in a series of rapid hand seals. He inhaled rapidly.

Sasuke roared in anger.

Nōtō exhaled. A swift flush of water crossed the trees.

Sasuke leapt forward, her foot slamming into Nōtō's face

Nōtō turned his head sideways slowly.

Sasuke blinked in shock. She struggled with the foot, attempting to remove it.

"Heh." Nōtō caught the leg.

Sasuke gulped heavily.

Nōtō grinned broadly. "Here you go! A free bath!" He hurled Sasuke into the stream rapidly.

"Kyah!" Sasuke screamed, covering her chest.

The water doused the flames.

Nōtō grinned broadly. "There goes my good deed of the day…" He turned, looking at Naruto.

Naruto groaned as he struggled to remove his fist from the ground.

"But I feel like helping out someone else too."

Naruto gulped. _He's terrifying… _

Nōtō rose to his feet. He walked over. Catching Naruto by the foot, he picked him up and hurled him into the stream.

Naruto groaned. _I've already had a bath!_

Nōtō turned his gaze to the motionless figure. "It's already eleven…"

Kōju's eyes opened. Slowly, Kōju rubbed her eyes.

Nōtō looked silently at the girl.

"Ugu…" Kōju exhaled. "Ugh…" She looked upward, only now seeming to notice her location.

Naruto clenched his fist.

Nōtō looked downward from the stump. _This one is a serious opponent…_

Kōju rubbed her arm across her eyes. "What's the test again?"

Sweat ran down Naruto's face.

Sasuke frowned.

_On second thought, let me retake that statement…_ "Two bells, whoever gets them graduates. You're the only remaining player," Nōtō stated.

"YOU FOOLS!" Eyes blazing, Kōju ran straight forward.

Nōtō blinked in surprise. He raised his hands defensively. _She could be dangerous in a bad situation…_

"Rising Earthen Barricade!" Kōju's fingers laced together rapidly. She slammed her palm into the mud of the ground.

A wall of earth rose around the three.

"You idiots…" Tears rolled down Kōju's cheeks.


	5. Teamwork! Team Seven Unites!

The stream water splashed across the rocks. Birds chirped loudly in the morning. The wall shaded the group, beautiful sun falling against the wall and cracking it. Slowly, the earth turned toward mud. A susurrus of water spilled around the earth, softly whispering to the attentive ear.

"You're both really stupid! WHAT WAS THE FIRST THING IRUKA TOLD US?" Kōju demanded, tears streaming down her cheeks and into the water.

Naruto frowned in thought. "I think I skipped the first day of class," he reflected, considering the matter.

"Welcome," Sasuke replied with customary aplomb.

"I was homeschooled, so I don't know anything about that, but… but!" Kōju sobbed, her finger rising. "He told us we were a team, didn't he?!"

Naruto frowned. He looked at the stream, his eyes distant. He thought back, to battles fought on playgrounds and combats in the playground.

Sasuke scowled. "One of us isn't passing no matter what we do…" she remarked. Her hand reached downward, touching her scroll.

"And what kind of idiot would buy such a thing? Idiots, idiots! When did he say that we couldn't all pass?!" Kōju wiped away tears from her face, her eyes blazing. "He just said to take the bells from him by lunch!" She beat ineffectually on the other two's chests, her face stern. "And if I know you guys, you just said that only two people can pass because there are only two bells, so you decided… to try it on your own!"

Sasuke and Naruto glanced at each other in shock.

"Not to interrupt your tantrum, but it is ten past eleven," Nōtō remarked.

"What if you're wrong?" Sasuke questioned, her eyes narrowing. "What if it is one bell per person?"

"Then…" Kōju exhaled. Her green eyes grew stern. "I'll give up on being a _genin_."

Sasuke gasped.

Naruto's eyes widened.

"To me, the fate of you guys is way too important. If I'm wrong… I'll give up on it completely."

Nōtō's eyes narrowed. He stared at the barricade. _I see. So she really is quite intelligent despite her outward appearance-there's indeed a difference between her and the others._

"Because you are my precious teammates…" Kōju lifted her hand. "There's always next year, after all."

Sasuke glanced at Naruto. "Hey, Naruto. Think you can handle using that shadow clone thing again?" she questioned, her hands rising in a defensive posture.

"Of course!" Naruto retorted indignantly. He lifted his arm. "He just took me off guard; that's all. I'll definitely get him this time!"

Sasuke smirked.

"I think I've got an idea that might work…" Kōju smiled tentatively. "I've seen the maximum of both of your capacities, unless Naruto-_kun _can summon the Kyūbi or something." She swallowed as she recollected the beast.

Naruto shook his head from side to side.

"Good. Since that's the case… Here's what we're going to do…" Kōju laid out her plan.

**Wakefulness**

The sun rose in the sky. Light reflected off the water, dancing over the rippling depths of the stream. The birds scattered from the branches, flying into the distance. The sun glimmered, crimson against the sky.

Nōtō yawned. He glanced at his watch.

11:20.

_Whatever they're planning, they better get started soon._ Nōtō lowered his hands, adjusting his posture.

"Earth Style: Rising Earth Barricade!"

_Well, no surprises there._ Nōtō tensed his legs, his body shifting rapidly.

The earth rose rapidly, a line of earth running from the stream to the stump of the tree.

Nōtō sat motionless, his expression calm as the rising earth wall rushed forward.

A white-haired head rose from the earth.

Nōtō's eyes widened slightly.

Kōju rapidly pushed over the stump, her small arms shoving hard.

The stump rolled over.

Nōtō jumped backward.

A cascade of dust followed Nōtō's feet.

"You can't react to something when your footing is damaged, can you?!" Sasuke questioned, a smirk crossing her lips. "Your stance depends on a solid ground…" She leapt downward from one of the trees, her arms swinging.

The chained kusari-gama cut downward.

Nōtō gritted his teeth. He ducked backward, avoiding the edge of the blade with some difficulty.

"So you can't block like usual!" Sasuke's hands clapped together. She inhaled rapidly. "Flame Style: Blossoming Flame Technique!" She exhaled, turning her head from side to side.

Flames rushed across the clearing.

Nōtō ducked backward swiftly.

The overturned stump lit with flames.

Nōtō bowed his head, his feet extending toward the ground. His hands clapped together rapidly. "Water Style-"

"Take this! Shadow Clone Technique!" Naruto sprung out of the ground, his arms lifting rapidly.

A horde of clones of Naruto surrounded Nōtō.

Nōtō's eyes widened. His body stumbled backward.

"You can't deflect now! I've got you!" Naruto punched forward with his right hand. His clones did the same.

Nōtō's lips curved upward. Nōtō's hands vanished.

"Huh?!" Naruto gasped in shock.

"Orararararararararara!" Nōtō shouted, his hands blasting outward rapidly.

_He just went to offense for the first time! _Sasuke gritted her teeth, her eyes narrowing. _Damn it, this is bad...!_

Brown light blazed around Nōtō. The hands blurred in a circle, rippling around the body.

The clones vanished, one by one.

A dreamy smile formed across Naruto's face. Naruto collapsed to the ground.

Nōtō let his hands drop to his sides.

Kōju darted forward, her small sword cutting toward the side of the pouch.

Sasuke rushed upward, her chain spinning in a circle as the blade glowed brightly.

Nōtō sighed. He leaned backward, adeptly dodging the attack in a flurry of motion.

Kōju's fist clenched. _Not even that? Come on! Some fortune is due to come our way!_

"Not even one… Looks like he'll be out for a while, so I'll tell you." Nōtō bowed his head.

Sasuke gritted her teeth. Her fist clenched. _I can't catch up to you after all..._

Kōju swallowed tightly. Her hand fell loosely to her side. _I'm sorry..._

"You all pass." Nōtō smiled. His glasses glinted on his nose as he regarded the trio.

"Huh?!" Sasuke blinked in shock. Her body shook slightly. _What the hell is this, anyway?_

"This test, for me, serves four to five purposes. First…" Nōtō lifted one finger. "It tests your ability to work together, as Kōju-_san _surmised."

Kōju smiled. "Then I pass too?" she questioned, smiling.

"You passed that part of the test with flying colors the second you threw away your ninja skill. But…" Nōtō lifted a second finger. "I said it served another few purposes, didn't I?"

Naruto lay motionless, twitching and drooling on the ground.

"The second purpose was to test your combat ability. If you couldn't force me to use Heavenly Son Entry even once, then I wouldn't have passed you… basically, you needed to show me that you had great power." Nōtō shrugged. "Something like that is basically to be expected. If you don't have the power, then you shouldn't be _genin_. All ninja put their lives at risk separately, you know. We live in a world of danger. If we sent out helpless children to their deaths, we'd be monsters."

Kōju nodded.

Sasuke scowled.

"The third purpose was to analyze your experience and power. Simply, I wanted to see how good you were."

Sasuke folded her arms across her chest.

Kōju nodded her head rapidly. "Right, right. The same purpose as the other."

"And, as I initially predicted, you made several mistakes. But we can discuss those later. Fourth…" Nōtō hesitated.

Kōju cocked her head to one side.

Sasuke scowled. _What's so important, then? What's he talking about?_

"I wanted to test your personalities. That's the most important part of this particular examination."

Sasuke blinked. _Eh? Didn't he get a clear glimpse of all that when we introduced ourselves?_

Kōju frowned. _What was he on about? We showed who we were to him most definitely._

Naruto sat upright, his face dazed and confused. "Hwah… Where am I? What am I doing?"

"We can discuss this last point briefly over lunch." Nōtō coughed. "Fish again?" He gestured toward the center of town.

Sasuke snarled. _Damn fish—I think if I see another fish again it will be too soon._

Kōju bobbed her head. "Good enough!"

Naruto exhaled after a moment, his mind returning to reality.

The trio walked toward the center of town, the sun beating down on the grasslands.

**Wakefulness**

The fish glistened, steaming on the plate. The fire pit glowed. Sauce boiled rapidly, the scents rising. Smoke drifted over the black pit, sweeping toward the group. A few people ate in the same restaurant, casting suspicious glances over at the trio of _genin _and their mentor. Heat rose from the fire pit.

"In the end, I have to know that my students have the best of intentions as well as the best of hopes." Nōtō exhaled. "That's something you can't tell from looking. It takes experience in reading body language and appearance—I spotted you two right away."

Sasuke blinked.

"Though you mostly thought of yourself, Sasuke-_san_, your second thoughts immediately went to your comrades and a sense of concern for them. This much I can sense from your nature…" Nōtō picked up a piece of fish.

Sasuke's cheeks flushed slightly.

"Even though you act divorced from this world, you are very much a part of it and desire to remain so. That's good…" Nōtō paused. "You have a moral compass still."

Sasuke looked away. "It's… not like I cared about them passing or not!" she declared, her ears red. "Don't talk as though… Er… Well, anyway, I passed. That's what I cared about." She stared out the window, her cheeks blushing a furious red.

Kōju grinned. _So I read her correctly, after all. _

Naruto smirked. _Though she doesn't act like a girl, she really is one._

"Naruto-_san_." Nōtō cleared his throat, setting down his chopsticks lightly.

Naruto looked upward hurriedly, studying Nōtō's face.

"You act from exactly what you say. Your ideals are high, but you have not forgotten kindness…" Nōtō swallowed the piece of fish.

Naruto nodded quietly.

"That's good. However, your face is the same as your true personality. That could prove considerably more troublesome."

Naruto blinked in confusion. "Hah? What's that supposed to mean, anyway?"

Sasuke looked at Naruto shortly, her expression sour as she rolled her eyes. _Seriously, you don't get it?_

Kōju hid a laugh behind her hand.

"A _shinobi _should hide their true personality deep down…" Nōtō paused. He glanced toward Naruto. "But that's beyond you. For the moment, we can concentrate on improving base abilities."

Naruto ducked his head, feeling slightly embarrassed.

"Finally, Kōju-_san_…"

Kōju looked upward. Her face flushed slightly. _What will he say about me, I wonder? Something else nice?_

"A super pervert," Nōtō remarked in a smooth voice.

"Hah?!" Kōju clutched her chest. Her face filled with sweat.

Sasuke blinked. _Eh? _Her eyebrow rose. She regarded Kōju with consternation. _What is he talking about? Sure, she reads series, but she doesn't think about things like that._

Naruto covered his face, wiping away sweat. _Good lord..._

"A super young pervert, someone who doesn't understand the meaning of her words, so, probably…" Nōtō exhaled. "Fine. But very much a romantic, with a similarly childish view of the world. For this reason, I'll pay the most attention to you." He scooped up a bite of fish.

Kōju scowled. "I am not childish." She spoke in a huffing voice. Her hands folded across her chest.

Nōtō sighed. "I heard you muttering a little in your sleep." He took a bite of the salmon.

Kōju gulped.

Naruto blinked. He covered his mouth with one hand.

Sasuke glanced suspiciously at Kōju. _Hm. I wonder about what she was muttering..._

"At any rate, let's move on. We'll begin standard _chakra _control exercises two weeks from now."

"_Chakra… _thing? Is that like shakra?" Naruto questioned, his head tilting to one side.

Nōtō rubbed his temples steadily. "Make that three weeks. We're already introduced, so… we should probably do something as a team."

"Do you want to see Yukie Fujikaze's new movie?" Kōju suggested.

Naruto frowned. "Nah."

"Yeah, she's a bit too theatrical." Sasuke agreed quietly.

"You take that back!" Kōju's eyes glistened.

Sasuke winced.

Naruto glanced at Sasuke. _Er..._

"I liked those movies a little too, when I was your age…" Sasuke began, attempting to placate Kōju. She raised one hand gently.

"Aw!" Kōju's eyes filled with tears. She rubbed at her eyes rapidly.

"Great…" Naruto sighed. _She's a really nice girl, but I don't want to do it…_

"Wah!"

Several patrons turned their heads toward the table. A few glared at Sasuke.

_She's cute, so she's using that to her advantage… _Sasuke adjusted her position, shifting her seat at the table.

The door opened. A bell on the door jangled loudly. The glass shimmered in the light, noonday sun pouring downward.

"It's about time for her nap, anyway." The white-haired man stepped into the room, one eye concealed by a blindfold.

"_Otō-sama_, make 'em take back what they said about Yukie Fujikaze!" Kōju requested, her lip trembling.

"Ah, Kakashi-_san_. Any luck this year?" Nōtō questioned, his arm leaning back against the booth's wood. He glanced toward the central fire pit.

Kakashi turned his gaze to his daughter, his cheeks flushing slightly. "If you want to prove them wrong, hadn't you better prove it by showing them one of her best movies? Come on. I'll buy you Mochi ice cream in a bit."

Kōju pouted, making a small noise deep in her throat.

Kakashi turned his gaze to Nōtō. "Nah. Nobody's disobedient these days. For that matter…" He inspected the _shinobi _at the table. "How'd these guys do?"

"Complete pass. Nobody left behind." Nōtō smiled broadly.

"Not even dead last?" Kakashi's eyebrow rose. "Well, at any rate… do you want a commemorative photograph?"

Nōtō blinked. A drop of sweat ran down his forehead. "Nah, I'm okay."

"You aren't still on that stupid kick about being photographed, are you?" Kakashi asked wearily.

Nōtō scowled. "It's not stupid!"

Kōju blinked. "What does he mean?"

"This guy…" Kakashi jerked a thumb at Nōtō. "He's incredibly superstitious."

Naruto shrugged. "Hey, ghosts and stuff are scary…"

Kōju pressed her fingers together.

"Both of you are idiots," Sasuke muttered, touching her chin.

"What do you mean?!" Naruto demanded, his face stern.

"You're ninja. You can create clones and use a perfect defensive barrier. What the hell are you worrying about ghosts and spirits for?!" Sasuke asked flatly.

Naruto's brow furrowed. "Ghosts are scarier than some _shinobi_," he stated after some consideration.

Sasuke's fingers flicked outward. The fingers slammed into the forehead.

Naruto winced. "Ow!"

"I'm a lot scarier than any ghost!" Sasuke declared coldly.

Naruto groaned.

"Let's take the picture," Kakashi suggested, a drop of sweat running down his forehead.

The camera loaded.

A 'click' emanated from the shutter.

Kakashi looked through the shutter.

Nōtō gulped.

"Not bad!"

The photograph printed out.

Naruto grinned.

Sasuke growled. "You did rabbit ears, bastard!"

"Cat ears, actually. Who knows?" Naruto grinned. "Maybe a ghost made me—**"**

Sasuke launched herself across the table without disturbing the plates. Her fist punched into Naruto's face.

Kōju gulped. Catching the arm in motion, she forced the fist downward.

Naruto gritted his teeth.

The table broke in half.

Kakashi slapped his forehead.

Nōtō brought up his plate, taking another bite of fish.

"We have ninja insurance, right?" one of the servers whispered to the other.

Kōju caught the arm, blocking the attack.

"Yeah… But I'm not sure if it's renewed…"

Naruto's foot spun around.

"You sure you passed these guys…?" Kakashi questioned. His brow dripped with sweat.

Sasuke's arm blocked the foot.

"I seem to recall you and Obito-_san_ having similar struggles," Nōtō remarked blandly, lifting his fish over the battling figures.

The plate crashed downward as the pair hit the ground.

Kakashi leaned sideways, dodging a flying chopstick. "While that may be true, I don't recall having attacked Obito immediately after our first training meeting."

The chopstick landed on the central fire pit. Smoke rose from the chopstick.

"Rrgh…" Naruto's eyes narrowed.

Sasuke grasped the foot, her eyes blazing.

Kōju placed her hands on both of the combatants' shoulders, her face serious. "Stop it already!"

"To me, this is better." Nōtō took another bite of the fish.

"And how's that, exactly?" Kakashi questioned skeptically.

"Between you and Obito-_san_, one didn't acknowledge the other. I trust I shouldn't need to remind you of that?" Nōtō picked up a piece of the fish.

Kakashi's eye narrowed. "That's old history." He studied the table, his eyes narrowing.

"I'll grant that, but comparison to the past is useful to understand the future… Sasuke-_san_, by contrast, definitely acknowledges Naruto-_san _as someone he recognizes."

Sasuke slowly lowered her hand.

Naruto scowled. He dropped his fist.

Kōju smiled slightly. _This is definitely better…_ She ushered the pair back to the table, wheedling and kind as she ushered the pair to sit down again.

"This team acknowledges each other. It's a good step toward friendship." Nōtō paused. He turned rapidly to one side, raising his hand. "Can we get a new set of plates over here? I, of course, will pay for the damages caused," he requested.

The server smiled. _This is a jōnin we're talking about—naturally he'll pay. _He bent over, pulling out a new set of plates.

The trio fell into discussion. The hours whiled on until the sun dipped below the horizon. Day passed, and night fell.


	6. The Opening Move! A New Chapter Starts

**A/N: Mahjong notes can be found on .jp/flash/mahjong/mahjong_ . For the time being, it's not especially important beyond what's described there. With this chapter a new arc begins! I also apologize in advance; from here on out chapter length may vary more significantly than a few hundred words or so.  
**The birds sung in the branches. The white cottage shimmered, lights pouring downward from the surface of the skylights. The tiles glimmered, white and crimson in the descending light of the evening sun. A single star shone in the evening sky. The trees shimmered in the light of the remaining stars.

"Sorry, but that's my win again! RON!"

Naruto groaned. "How do you keep winning?" He reached into his side of the table, tossing over a set of black sticks.

"Discarding the first one on the end every time isn't sufficient strategy to win this game. As to you, Sasuke-_chan_, you rely too heavily on impossible waits."

Sasuke's eyes narrowed. _I've got no choice if I want to come back from the hole you've dug me into… I need very strong hands. _She opened her hand on the table. "Tenpai. Dora Four, Three Fu…"

Naruto laid his hand down on the table, groaning wearily. He let his fingers running along the list.

_Kokushi Musou, missing only one honor tile? Naruto-_kun _is pretty insanely lucky… But his hand is incredibly easy to read, even if he doesn't deal into Tenpai. I won't deal into his waits, and can adjust my own to deal with his. As to Kiba… _A faint note of distaste crossed Kōju's face as she glanced at the tiles. Kōju laid her fingers against the sticks.

Kiba laid the tiles down, groaning. "You're awful!"

_He reveals too much of his hand. Sasuke-_chan _is probably No-Ten this round… though she's fairly lucky, she's not intelligent enough to capitalize on gains. For me, my only advantage is intelligence._ Kōju gathered up the sticks on the table, shoving them into the drawer. "Hah." She glanced around the table. "Anyone up for another round? I'll keep playing as long as I'm the dealer.

Nōtō grinned. _She's the best out of the group at basic ninja skills, after all. She has a strong instinct for Mahjong and can quickly calculate her best odds… still, it's possible another might win. _He reached downward, pulling out his copy of the Bingo Book. _She has won only off other people's discards, and gained only small hands. Her wins so far have taken many hours… But that's the way a ninja should be. Of Team Seven, she is closest to this ideal. Mahjong is a perfect game for _shinobi… _One based off instinct and logic._

"How can you keep winning?" Naruto demanded, slapping his forehead. "We should be able to win at least one game!"

"It's easy. To me, it's like your tiles are see-through." Kōju shrugged. "Well, you show too much when you get a good or bad tile."

Sasuke's eyes narrowed. _Huh. I should probably work on that._

Nōtō glanced over his shoulder. _Truly, these guys are fantastic…_

A knock came at the door of the room.

"Eh?" Nōtō turned his head to the side of the room. He raised his arm. "Just a moment." He placed a small leaf in his book. Rising to his feet, he walked over to the door.

Kiba scowled. "And Naruto, since when have you liked guys anyway?"

"Guys?!" Naruto demanded, his face flushing.

"You've been making eyes at Sasuke for most of the game, you old dog!" Kiba slapped Naruto on the back. "Still, I didn't take you for that kind of person…" His eyes narrowed.

Sasuke's eyes narrowed. "The epithet dog better belongs to you… Kiba-_san_." Her arm extended to one side.

"No fighting, remember? That was one of the conditions for the game." Kōju raised her hands, her body tensing under the base of the table. _If I have to knock over the table on them, I will._

Akamaru's growl died down to a low, rhythmic sound. He curled beneath the table.

Naruto's face flushed. He looked away from Sasuke, covering his face slightly with one hand.

_It's not like I want him to make eyes at me or something… Damn it, CONCENTRATE… _Sasuke's hand slipped slightly as she made the new wall.

A tile tumbled over.

Sasuke's eyes widened.

Kiba gasped in shock. _The Haku!_

The tile rested against the base of the table.

"…Can we make this the new Dora indicator?" Sasuke asked, a drop of sweat running down her face.

"I've got no objection." Kōju yawned. "But it's my bedtime soon."

Kiba grinned broadly. He leaned forward at the table.

"Ah! Kiba-_san_, I'm afraid you'll have to depart for the nonce!" Nōtō clapped his hands together. "We have an unexpected mission!"

"Fine, I get it…" Kiba rose to his feet. "You better explain this, understood? And living with such a cute girl under your roof too!" He growled, pointing at Naruto with one finger.

_It's not the same as that, either… _Tears ran down Naruto's face as he stared at the ceiling. _She's really an awful pervert…_

Kōju smiled faintly, flipping over the pages in the manga.

The door opened.

"Here we are, then," Nōtō remarked, gesturing to the door. "Please show her hospitality, for now."

Naruto's eyes widened. _Wow. She looks so calm. _He frowned. _I should try pranking her at some point. That is if I have the option available to me—I really hope there's something there._

_She's a cutie! _Small hearts appeared in Kōju's eyes. She leaned forward, her cheeks flushing.

_Wealthy, therefore perplexing… what is she doing here? _Sasuke's eyebrows furrowed. She folded her hands across her chest, studying the woman carefully.

"Please allow myself to introduce my humble personage." The girl bowed her head low, her hands lying against the ground. "I am the princess of the province of Wave, my poor name Ranryū Yokaze." Black hair framed a small heart-shaped face. Brown eyes stared out from the face. The girl brushed her hair to one side with a comb, her body kneeling in a traditional position of submission. "I will depend on you to preserve my existence in the castle of Wave."

"Wave?" Naruto questioned, his eyebrows furrowing. "I've never heard of them before. Are they like a minor nation or something? Or is there something else—"

"We conquered the province in the Third Shinobi World War." Kōju answered distantly. Composing herself after a moment, she coughed, turning her gaze away from Yokaze. "Ahem. Shall we eat dinner?"

"Heat up some of the ramen again!" Naruto shouted, throwing up one fist up in the air.

"Beef stew for me." Sasuke looked downward. She stared through her eyelashes at the girl.

"Just some ice cream for me…" Kōju rubbed her stomach, staring at the ceiling.

"You three need to expand your diets. For me, a simple fish." Nōtō walked into the kitchen. Throwing on an apron, he settled his hands on the oven. He turned on the flame.

Smoke rose from the surface of the oven.

_He says that with a straight face?! _Naruto groaned.

"And you, miss?" Nōtō inquired calmly. "If necessary I can go down to the corner store."

"Oh… for my humble self, simply the leftovers heated will suffice." Yokaze paused. "The situation is as the white-haired one states it. I will request your names in a moment, but for now let me explain the situation…"

Naruto scowled faintly. _This is going to be boring._ He studied the food, his eyes never returning to the person.

"The province of Wave was never entirely stable… even when Fire Country first conquered it there were riots, battles, and various forms of evil performed against _shinobi_. For this reason, it was judged best to place us, the Ranryū family, in charge of day-to-day operations and the province. It became an ancestral title of land to us. Those still live who remember the Third Shinobi World War, but the strategy worked for some time. It is only recently that we have encountered troubles… In particular, an economic downturn has occurred that resulted in great troubles and riots. In this circumstance, it's possible even our family might be targeted. So, for the present, it's best to ensure the protection of its next-in-line." Yokaze lifted her head. "For this reason, we have already paid compensation to Hidden Leaf in return for protection. You are the team we have selected for this mission. Please, protect my humble personage."

"Just a moment. How did you travel here?" Nōtō questioned, his eyebrows rising. "Surely you had some means of self-protection. That trip takes at least a day, even going quickly."

"I sent a summoning scroll to the Hokage, naturally. That letter was carried by a large eagle, one of the ones raised on the land of the Senju." Yokaze paused. "Are there any further questions? I like to clarify things, so it's understandable that you raise these points."

"Perhaps there's something I didn't quite clarify. What is the rank of this mission?" Nōtō questioned.

"Well, it's about C-rank difficulty in my opinion. So not too difficult. Just a few local thugs." Yokaze paused. "Of course, they have the power to threaten my family… recently we have been trained as the 'leaders of a province' and not as 'ninja'."

"I see. In that case—" Nōtō paused.

"Hold it! What are these 'ranks'?" Naruto demanded.

Sasuke massaged her temples slowly. "Were you out the day they passed out brains, or did they just give you a really holey one? Mission difficulty ranks indicate how tough the mission is and, in turn, how much we get paid. What we've been doing up till now is only D-rank missions. Cheap, easy, reasonable. But, since our team strength is disproportionate to our experience and what not, we can probably handle a C-rank mission by ourselves."

"Yeah! Okay, let's take this mission, Nōtō-_sensei_!" Naruto shouted, his fist shooting up in the air.

"…Hm. I was going to refuse it outright…" Nōtō sighed. "Oh, whatever. Naruto-_kun_, could you go prepare a futon?"

"We're going to let her sleep in here?!" Naruto demanded.

Nōtō sighed. "No. She will be sleeping in the third bed. You, on the other hand, will be sleeping on the futon; that's why you're getting it. That is the holy act."

"No way!" Naruto's agonized howl sounded across the ground.

**Price**

The night air felt cool against the skin. A window lay open in the room, winds blowing through the window. The futon glimmered, moonlight pouring into the blankets. The four-poster bed shimmered.

Naruto glanced over at the bed, his cheeks red.

Yokaze lay motionless. Snores emanated from her lips. She rolled over in bed, her face turning to the window.

_I'm never going to get any sleep. _Naruto groaned. He turned over in the futon, shoving her shoulder into the bag.

The door brushed open, hardly a breeze in the wind of the evening sky.

Naruto rolled over rapidly again. His hand reached downward. He looked at the door. His hand seized on a kunai. _A burglar? Did someone get into the house while I wasn't paying attention…?_

"Yo. Idiot. We can switch shifts…" Sasuke's hand rested against the hilt of the blade. "We'll catch up on sleep tomorrow night." She stepped into the moonlight, her black hair shining in the light.

Naruto blinked in confusion. "Why are you helping me?" he questioned. He did not release the kunai—Sasuke was definitely acting weird, and he wasn't certain it wasn't the Shape-Shifting Technique.

"It's not like I care about your sleep. This is just smart—if we do run into trouble, it's best to have many weak sticks instead of a single strong one." Sasuke lay down on the ground. "You can take my room, instead."

"Hah…" Naruto exhaled.

"Though not my bed."

"Thank you." _It's probably not right to tell a princess she snores… _Naruto picked up the futon.

Sasuke scowled, but said nothing. She lay down on the ground, her eyes staring at the wood planks on the ceiling.

Naruto collapsed into the futon thankfully. He fell asleep after several minutes, his whiskers twitching on the surface of his cheeks.

**Price**

The forest glistened with dew drops. The sun poured down. Light poured through the trees and sparkled off the branches. The air glimmered. White light covered the surface of the water.

"So, what are the great nations, anyway?" Naruto questioned.

Nōtō stopped. He turned around on the path, his body tense. "You mean to tell me that you have not even heard of the great nations?"

"Well, I know we're one of them," Naruto replied reasonably.

Nōtō sighed tightly. "Kōju-_san_. Would you mind explaining this matter?"

"There are seven Great Nations. Hidden Fire, Hidden Mist, Hidden Stone, Hidden Sand, Hidden Cloud, Hidden Rain, and Hidden Frost." Kōju paused. "They were the big participants in the Third Shinobi World War—those were truly dark times. Though there are dark parts to our modern experience, they don't even compare. The Pillars of _Shinobi _got involved, among others."

"Who?" Naruto questioned, tilting his head to one side.

Nōtō sighed, rubbing his temples. "That's enough education for one day." He turned his gaze to the path, his glasses glinting in the light. "I have a bad feeling about today… why don't you three go up ahead?" Nōtō's hands extended. "I can step in a bit, but for the most part it's up to you three…"

"You think there are thugs already?" Sasuke demanded.

"I think merely it's best to be cautious." Nōtō paused, touching his chin. "You guys go ahead. I'll stick back here with our client."

Sasuke scowled. "Che. Can't be helped…" She stepped forward. Her hand grasped the scroll, unclipping it from her belt. "You stay back, all right, Kōju-_san_?"

Kōju's lip stuck outward. "I want to fight!"

"You're the strongest of the three of us right now. If these thugs turn out to be strong or smart, they might try going behind us, right?" Sasuke glanced over her shoulder briefly.

Kōju nodded reluctantly. She glanced over her shoulder at Yokaze. "You don't have any trouble with this, right?"

"My humble personage is in your care." Yokaze bowed her head deeply.

Kōju swallowed, her eyes wide. Her cheeks blushed deeply.

Naruto and Sasuke walked forward, hands on weapons. They spread to the sides.

_It's an instinct and nothing more, but… _Nōtō tapped his chin. He looked into the darkness ahead.

Woods often concealed bandits. These might not, but wariness never hurt one, after all…

Naruto stepped forward. Grinning foolishly, he lifted his arm. "I'll show these bandits—if there are any, that is—"

Water splashed upward from a puddle behind Naruto.

_I see. _Nōtō's eyes narrowed. _It seems that I was correct after all._

Naruto turned around, his eyes widening.

Sasuke lifted the kusari-gama, her eyes narrowing as she regarded the pair. Her legs tensed against the ground.

The figures leapt forward. Gas masks, crude and inefficient, showed across their faces.

Naruto gritted his teeth. _Attacked already! _He raised his arms in a defensive posture.

One of the mask-wearing _shinobi _grasped the chain of a kusari-gama. The chain whipped forward.

Sasuke's eyes narrowed. "Not on my watch you don't." She twisted around the blade.

The second kusari-gama caught the first.

The figure scowled behind the mask, their eyebrows drawing together into a sharp line. He slashed toward Sasuke's face.

The second masked _shinobi _raised their kunai.

"I'll hold him here…" Naruto punched forward.

The kusari-gama glistened. It slashed into the surface of the skin of the fist.

Blood trickled down from Naruto's knuckle.

Naruto winced. He closed his eyes. _For some reason everything is going blurry…_

"You dumbass!" Sasuke shouted, her eyes widening with rage. "What the hell were you thinking?"

"I went to punch him when you had him caught up, and—" Naruto began, his body trembling. He looked down at the wound. His body shook heavily. He lowered his fist, his shivering arm lowering and shaking.

"Ugh. Never mind. Flame Style: Great Fireball Technique!" Sasuke exhaled rapidly, her breath turning into flames.

A ball of flames shot outward from Sasuke's mouth.

The flames covered the path.

Flames rushed up the body of the ninja.

Naruto's eyes widened. "Where's the other one?" he demanded, whirling around as he stared through the smoke.

The flames died away.

Sasuke blinked in shock. "…What?"

The ninja emerged from the underbrush. Water dripped down from the body rapidly.

Sasuke's eyes narrowed. "…Okay, you're pretty lucky," she conceded, turning around. "But that's not going to last long!"

The ninja swung around a kusari-gama.

"Damn!" Sasuke's eyes widened. She spun around, looking behind her.

The _shinobi _rushed forward, his hand drawing the blade and carrying it toward the target rapidly.

A white blade suddenly crossed the clearing.

The tree collapsed.

Kōju's eyes narrowed. "That was a Hidden Mist ninja, wasn't it?" she questioned calmly. She lowered her hand slightly.

The whirling blade returned to Kōju's hand.

Kōju lifted the sword. She sheathed the tantō in her belt.

Nōtō knelt. His hand picked up the headband. He glanced back toward the ninja. His eyes narrowed. Standing up, he walked over to the pair. His hands clapped together. "Forgive me." His arms spread upward.

The ninjas' eyes widened.

_Those two are both okay. Not a mark on them… why are they so calm? _Naruto choked as he stared up at his teammates.

Sasuke closed her eyes. She exhaled, touching her chest. A rapid pulse echoed across the fingers. _It's a lot scarier actually fighting someone… I should have realized that targeting Itachi-_san _would not be so easy._

Kōju looked downward at the bodies. _It… I won't say it's fun getting ready to fight someone, but there's a distinct and unique feeling to it._

"Shrine Maiden Entry." The hands spun rapidly forward.

The bodies of the pair exploded. A look of ecstasy crossed the faces of the pair as the masks shattered.

"It seems to me you've been lying about the difficulty of the mission." Nōtō turned his gaze to Yokaze. "We weren't equipped to handle ninja like this… Even if it's me, I may have difficulties against some of this quality. Truthfully, this is much more serious than that."

Yokaze frowned. "Why?"

"The province of Wave was originally taken from the Land of Fire. It's not improbable to say that this could be the start of a diplomatic incident between the Land of Fire and the Land of Water… indeed, if Hidden Cloud and Hidden Sand became involved, we could be looking at a Fourth Shinobi World War."

Sasuke frowned. "What the hell does that have to do with this?"

Nōtō sighed in exasperation. "If they're targeting the ruling family of the province of Wave, Land of Water wants the land back. It's possible that they might attempt to install a puppet or use Yokaze-_san _as a puppet to return the land to them. Either will make the Land of Fire look weak if we let it happen. We retaliate, and Land of Water declares war for unnecessary aggression. Then the other Lands might act. This kind of posturing is why ninja were created in the first place…"

"No way." Naruto scratched his brow. "That is what being a ninja is?"

Sasuke sighed. _Though I don't like it better than Naruto, I know the truth of what he says well enough. Politics are a dangerous arena, in which _shinobi _are combatants—if it wasn't like that, a lot of things might be different in my own life._

"There is another way. We find out the person who is targeting Yokaze-_san_, defeat them. Land of Water writes them off as 'rogues'. The average citizen might suspect, but… we save face in this way."

"This… skullduggery? Is this all the Hokage is?"

"I won't say either way. It's up to you to decide… this way we save a lot of innocent lives." Nōtō sighed. "But yes, it is underhanded. This is our world. By the way, I'll need to draw the blood from your wound." He reached downward, drawing out a scalpel. "Removing the portion that's poisoned should do the trick."

Naruto gritted his teeth. He stabbed his hand with the kunai.

Kōju gasped. "Um—er!" She raised her hand, her body shaking as she regarded Naruto. "Er—"

Nōtō turned sharply.

"I swear we'll get you home, Yokaze-_san_. I swear it on this pain!" Naruto grinned through the tears.

"If you don't stop that bleeding, you're probably going to die. Kōju-_san_…" Nōtō gestured to Kōju.

Kōju stepped forward, wrapping up the wound with gauze. _It's healing quickly. Strange…_

Mist drifted over the sky. The forest darkened. The shadows cast over the wood. Slowly, the day darkened, the hours passing swiftly beyond the gate of the sphere. The waves splashed against a distant shore. The smell of sea salt and the cries of seagulls echoed through the space.

Yokaze nodded. "Well, I can guide you there. Don't worry; once we reach my father things should be fine!"

"He… does know you took the trip, right?" A drop of sweat ran down Sasuke's face.

"Yeah! Well, I might have told him it was for different reasons, but…" Yokaze wiped off a drop of sweat.

The mist cleared slightly.

A tall castle stood above a flight of marble steps. The white stones glimmered as the light struck them, solid blocks of stone on golden grass. A small river ran along the side of the castle, the ripples spreading from the base of the stones.

"Wow! This is a nice place!" Naruto exclaimed, staring at the exterior wall.

Yokaze grinned. "Glad you think so. Tanzaku Castle—we're in the middle of renovations." She stared up at the heavens. Her hands fell to her sides.

"Seems quiet." Sasuke looked upward with a scowl on her face.

"Yeah… It's strange," Kōju concurred.

The sky darkened.

Yokaze frowned. "I'm sure it'll be just fine…" She hurried up the steps into the castle. "Father? Father!"

"Idiot," Kōju muttered quietly. She hurried through the doors.

Suits of armor lay in the corner of the entrance room. Drops of water lay along the base of the entry hall.

Yokaze ran through the building, calling out her father's name. Her feet slipped occasionally on the water, and she fell to the ground.

Nōtō glanced from side to side. He proceeded more cautiously, his leather shoes soaking up water and grime.

The castle creaked.

"Father! I'm home—" Yokaze began, pushing open the door.

A piercing scream echoed through the castle.

Naruto's eyes widened.

Sasuke reached downward, her hand unclipping the scroll.

Kōju ran swiftly through the halls, glancing from side to side as she ran inward.

"Sorry, but I have to go." Nōtō vanished. Leaves fell through the ceiling, surrounding the body.

Naruto ran in the direction of the scream, through tapestry-covered corridors and armor of gold.

Blood splattered across the floor. The body lay motionless. A massive gash lay across the chest, cut by a sword. Blood pooled across the ground, sinking into the gaps between the stones.

A man in white stood against the side of the room. He folded his arms, staring with blank, dead eyes at the entry to the room.

Nōtō cleared his throat. He stood in the middle of the room. "That girl is under our protection. You should consider your position as a criminal in the Hidden Mist, as well, before you take some premature action."

"Against you, it will definitely be difficult even in this environment." The masked man glanced toward the door. "Those guys are useless, but you…" He turned his gaze to Nōtō.

Nōtō clapped his hands together, his eyes grave. "It's an honor to be known by such a famous fellow. Or should I perhaps say infamous? Momoichi Zabuza." His hands rose swiftly.

Zabuza's eyes narrowed. He reached upward, touching the hilt of the sword.

"Why? You were always such a good mentor…" Yokaze wept.

"Pay wasn't good enough." Zabuza tightened his grip on his sword. "I've wanted to fight you for a long time… Mura Nōtō."

Nōtō's eyes narrowed. "Stay back, you three. You're strong, but there's no need for you to die senselessly."

"I'll kill them after you're dead." Zabuza's eyes narrowed. "That's quite simple; there's no reason to warn them regarding that."

"You appear to have misunderstood. At my current poor level of proficiency, I'm not certain I can kill you without getting them involved. The same goes for you, Yokaze-_san_. Stand well back." Nōtō's body trembled. His body glowed as brown energy rose around the body.


	7. Zabuza, Demon of the Hidden Mist!

The air shimmered. Water dripped from the ceiling of the tiled room, the water sinking into crevices. The tiles glimmered, depicting images of coiled dragons spitting water fire and golden light. The walls shimmered. The grey stone of the castle darkened with moisture

Yokaze stepped backward, her body forcing its way behind Naruto. She swallowed, biting her lip slightly.

_This guy is awesome. _Naruto grinned, clenching his fist. _Saying 'you might get caught up like that' is so cool! He's definitely the only trainer worthy of me, Naruto Uzumaki!_

Sasuke tensed. _Zabuza looks a lot stronger, and he's got a sword. I don't think things will turn out the way we expect… If necessary, I should be ready to protect Kōju-_san _and ero-nin. _Her hand touched the scroll at her side. She unclipped it, reaching swiftly sideways.

Kōju tightened her grip on her sword. _I better be ready to protect Yokaze-_san_. Any true heroine would. Of course, I can't so easily forsake my friends, but I need to be prepared in all aspects…_

Nōtō lifted his hands. His foot balanced against the side of his leg. His body tensed.

Zabuza lifted his arms. The massive sword glowed in the large hands. "Yeah, I've heard about you… Mura Nōtō-_san_. It's said that you're one of the most dangerous people in Leaf." His eyes narrowed as he regarded Nōtō. "I can see where those people are coming from."

Nōtō smiled tightly. "I'm pleased to hear that my reputation precedes me." The air darkened. "But then, you realize that you won't be able both to fight me and capture that woman…"

"Most dangerous person in Leaf?" Sasuke questioned nervously. She took a step toward the door.

"You mean he didn't tell you?" Zabuza snorted. "Yeah. This guy is one of three people in history to have mastered the art of Susano'o Mikoto." He lifted his finger, pointing at Nōtō. "And he's also the only person to have done it without learning _chakra _sensing abilities."

Nōtō bowed his head. His arms extended to the sides.

The air grew still. A faint wind blew along the ground swiftly.

"Yeah… This guy, it would be unfair to compare to a prodigy, because he's beyond that. He's skilled in both medical _ninjutsu _and _taijutsu_, enough that he can find _chakra _points by instinct."

The stones of the castle trembled. The earth rose, drops of water falling from the surface of the ceiling.

"You said something wrong, though." Zabuza's hands grasped the sword swiftly, covering the hilt. The cloth of the facial mask dampened.

"Hm?" Nōtō frowned, his eyes narrowing.

"You said that I won't be able to fight you and capture that woman." Zabuza's hands clapped rapidly together.

The castle trembled. The flagstones shook heavily.

Kōju glanced upward, her eyes widening. _This kind of technique? It's ridiculous—I should be so lucky to meet someone so strong…_

Nōtō's eyes narrowed. _How irritating. If I understand correctly, he's planning to use that…_

Naruto hopped from foot to foot, his eyes wide. _Whoa! What's up with this situation, huh?! How crazy can someone be?!_

"That's wrong… Mura-_san_." Zabuza's lips curled upward, the mask matching his movements. He clapped his hands together rapidly in a series of motions.

The earth shook. The water drops intensified, gathering on the ground and forming a pool.

"There's a river not far from here. I imagine you noticed it on your way inward. That technique expends a lot of _chakra_, so I didn't want to use it at first, but against you it's my only hope, isn't it? You don't deal well with large volumes of water." Zabuza's eyes narrowed. "Or anything, really. It weakens you enough that you can't use your normal methods to deal with problems."

The ground trembled. The drops of water intensified, becoming a hailstorm of water.

"Water Style: Water Dragon Bullet!" Zabuza's hands clapped together, his eyes blazing with blue energy. The form of a demon rose around Zabuza's body.

Kōju gasped. _Eh? What's this? _She turned her head to one side. _I've never seen _chakra _take such a concentrated and horrible form before!_

Sasuke's brow dripped with sweat.

The castle glistened. A deluge of water poured inward from every nook, every cranny, every motion of the castle walls, the tiles destroyed, the world igniting with the force of the water conjured.

Zabuza's lips curled upward.

A wall collapsed. A massive wave of water, taking the fanciful form of a dragon, burst through the wall rapidly.

Yokaze gasped. Her hand rose to her mouth. _Hoh…_

A drop of sweat ran down Sasuke's forehead. _What is all this, anyway? What kind of lunatic suggested that we try taking on a freak like that? Huh?_

Naruto gritted his teeth. _Right now, I would only get in the way… I need to wait for an opening. Sooner or later such a thing has to appear, and when it does, I'll be ready for that event. I can definitely beat this guy—I know I can! I just need to be prepared and ready for whatever happens!_

Nōtō's hand rose in an arc.

The water halted. The water collapsed to the ground. Blue _chakra _dissipated from the ripples in the water, fading away into nothingness as the water collapsed rapidly to the ground. The air glimmered, light fading from the base of the water and crashing into nothingness.

The brown energy around Nōtō's body dissipated. Water dripped downward from the surface of the skin.

Nōtō exhaled. "You've broken my aura…" His hand reached sideways. He drew out a massive totem with spikes on the end from the cloak. "I guess I'll just have to fight normally." He breathed in heavily, his eyes narrowing. _I see quite clearly how matters stand now, I think. It seems that Zabuza is still every bit as dangerous as before. _He tensed. _It's a pity that I may have to return to my form of that era, but I have very little choice under the circumstances._

Zabuza rushed forward. His hands clapped together rapidly.

Mist rose from the ground.

Sasuke reached upward, clutching her chest. _This aura is incredibly terrifying… I feel like I'm going to die at any moment. What the hell is this feeling?_ She swallowed. _It's… no, it's different. A pure killing intent, without any temperance of desire for power or something like that…_

Naruto swallowed tightly. _What the hell…? _He swallowed again, bile rising in his throat. _It's like I'm standing on hundreds of corpses…_

Mist rose across the ground, surrounding the surface of the space. Wintry cold froze the area.

The steel glasses glinted.

"Stay where you are. Do not attack." Nōtō spoke calmly and firmly. His hand rested on the mace.

Naruto raised his kunai defensively, swallowing.

Sasuke reached upward. She wiped away a drop of sweat, her body growing heavy and shaking.

Kōju bit her lip. Dark blood dripped from the surface of the crimson lip.

Mist rose through the air.

"It's Silent Killing… This technique is unique to Hidden Mist swordsmen. It's said that they can kill without the target being aware of their presence. It depends on Hidden Mist Technique, however." Nōtō's eyes narrowed. "Truthfully, until he comes close, I'm not certain I can kill him in this form. He has more experience with that than I do. However, I can say most certainly that I will not allow my team to come to harm in any way."

The mist darkened.

Naruto turned in a circle, looking at the shadows.

Kōju drew out her tantō. She shook heavily, from head to toe. Sweat dripped down her brow. _This whole thing is very different from expectations._

Zabuza swung downward, his massive sword slashing toward the head rapidly.

Yokaze gasped. She closed her eyes.

The blade stopped rapidly in midair.

Yokaze forced her eyes open. Her body shook with surprise, her arms falling downward.

Nōtō smirked as he reappeared from the shadows of the fog, his club blocking the attack. "You shouldn't telegraph your presence so much… You left marks on the ground."

Zabuza swung around again rapidly. His arms tensed.

Nōtō dodged sideways as the sword slammed into the ground.

Tile broke. Golden dragons flew upward from the surface of the ground, shooting into the ceiling.

Kōju gasped.

_This must be what a real battle looks like, _Sasuke reflected, her eyes widening as she attempted to track the movements. _Good Emperor… is this really where my brother ended up in terms of his power? He's too insane…_

Nōtō rushed upward, his fist plunging into the sternum.

Zabuza's body shook and shifted.

"ORARARARARARARA!" Nōtō roared, his hands blurring forward and slamming into the body.

Water fell to the ground.

Ripples spread across the water.

Naruto's eyes widened. "Eh?"

_Water Clone Technique_. Nōtō turned rapidly, his hands seizing on his club once again.

"It's not that easy to take me off guard!" Zabuza appeared again behind Nōtō, swinging rapidly.

The head collapsed to the ground.

The sword passed over the body. Blood flew from the stump of the neck.

Nōtō's expression, momentarily, showed surprise.

"_Sensei!_" Kōju shouted in a panic, her eyes wide. Her body shook fiercely. Sweat dripped down her forehead.

_No way! _Naruto's eyes widened. _He died that easily?_

The body transformed into earth.

Zabuza turned around slowly.

Nōtō brought down the club heavily. The arm smashed into the surface of the table.

Zabuza collapsed to the ground, his body falling motionless.

Blood spilled from the pate of the head.

The club bent in the head.

"Sensei!" Naruto shouted, his eyes wide.

"He was prepared to die from the moment he became a _shinobi_." Nōtō's eyes narrowed. He glanced down at the club. _Crimson. That was his real body… _He turned around. "Yokaze-_san_, you seemed to know him…" He paused. "I'll need to know information regarding his habits."

The water flowed upward.

Nōtō whirled around.

The water on the floor rose.

"Heh…"

A sphere of water formed around Nōtō.

Nōtō's eyes widened.

"You can't beat me with your skills like that." Zabuza rose to his feet.

"Then at that time you used a second copy shape-shifted…" Nōtō smiled faintly. He placed his hands on his legs. "It's my loss…"

Zabuza's eyes widened. He stared down at his limbs. His body wobbled rapidly. He shook heavily.

"Or so I'd say if I hadn't taken one last precaution."

"This is _genjutsu?_" Zabuza demanded. He stared up at the ceiling. _Truly, this guy is a prodigy…_

"I made a security. I expect to die, but—if I can save them, then I will have fulfilled my duty."

Zabuza's eyes narrowed. He lifted the sword with one arm. "Nice try, but if I focus my energy, it'll be gone in an instant."

"I don't believe that's possible right now. The performance of the Water Prison Technique takes a great deal of precise _chakra_ control. Unbalancing it releases me, and I'm sure you would prefer not to fight me in _taijutsu_. To release the _genjutsu_ would prove difficult if not impossible. The only option remaining for you is…" Nōtō paused, letting Zabuza's experience speak for him.

"To fight like this…" Zabuza exhaled. "Water Clone Technique."

A copy of Zabuza appeared in the space.

The sword rose. The massive energy lifted in the air.

"I guess you are strong. Still, I came to kill her, so… I'll kill her." Zabuza lifted his sword. "It's as simple as that."

"Clones cannot be maintained too far from the body. You guys should run." Nōtō looked seriously at the _genin_.

"You guys shouldn't be called ninja yet. You're basically greenlings… too young to be considered that. A _shinobi _has scars on their body." Zabuza vanished.

Kōju's eyes widened. She drew her blade.

The head protector lay motionless under Zabuza's foot.

"Well, how about it, princess? I'll repay you. Consider this my severance pay!" Zabuza shouted.

Yokaze bit her lip. "Maybe you guys ought to run…"

Naruto's eyes narrowed. "No way. Sasuke-_san_. Kōju-_san_… This is our mission, right? We're not leaving a comrade behind."

Kōju lifted her sword.

Sasuke reached downward. A pair of shuriken puffed into her hands.

Naruto drew back his fist.

Zabuza's eyes narrowed. "Hidden in Mist Technique!"

"Hold still. Here's my plan…"

Mist spread through the air.

Naruto explained his plan.

Kōju nodded. "It has a chance of success. I wouldn't say much more than that, though."

"This guy we're up against has much better odds to begin with." Sasuke sighed. "Still, nothing like a lost cause…"

The castle creaked. The wall glimmered.

Light passed through the opening.

_I should wait for them to come at me. I have the advantage of location. Attacking is a waste. _Zabuza's eyes narrowed. _From what I can tell, this _genjutsu _alters my depth perception and relative considerations._

Naruto rushed forward. "Shadow Clone Technique!"

Clones appeared around the room.

The clones rushed Zabuza as one.

Zabuza swung around. Clones dissipated into smoke.

Naruto gritted his teeth. _It's more than a little irritating that I'm still the distraction, but… _He lifted the kunai, hurling them forward.

Zabuza's eyes narrowed.

The sword rose in the air. Scarred and terrible, it deflected the _kunai_.

_This kid. Could he be the _jinchūriki _of Hidden Leaf?_ Zabuza lifted his sword, catching the weapon with both hands.

"Run, you idiots!" Nōtō shouted.

"I'm not going to stop them. Now that my father is dead, I need protection wherever I am…" Yokaze declared sharply, her face full of shock. Her body shook heavily.

Nōtō gritted his teeth. "This guy is on a whole different level! He's the Demon of Hidden Mist. There's no way you guys have a chance against him!" He closed his eyes tightly. "You should simply go! You don't have a chance in this battle!"

"The demon?"

"Yeah. It's a shame you don't know this…" Zabuza faded into the mist.

"Probably one of the few things he's proud of." Nōtō exhaled. "The Hidden Mist, not more than ten years ago, had killing exams—to graduate, friends, brothers, sisters, and enemies killed each other. The plan was to release students who survived… But the exam method changed ten years ago, when the Demon Momoichi Zabuza came… That person killed everyone at the exam. He was the only person to graduate." He closed his mouth again, his body shaking.

Kōju's eyes widened.

Naruto gasped. He stared at the others.

Sasuke swallowed.

Zabuza raised his blade. "I don't have such a thing as pride—beyond the usual for a ninja, that is." He drew the blade over Sasuke's head._ I'm pleased he allowed me to demoralize them. Their fear will encourage them to move backward. A blade raised with fear cannot reach me._

"Flame Style: Great Fireball Technique!" Sasuke inhaled rapidly, her hands clapping together.

Zabuza jumped backward, his body vanishing again.

Flames rushed over the mist.

Sasuke collapsed to one knee, gasping. Her body dripped with sweat.

The mist faded.

Kōju leaped upward. Her foot slammed against the side of the chandelier.

The chandelier collapsed.

The water droplets hung motionless in the air, glimmering beneath the impact of the light.

One by one, the water droplets fell to the ground.

"Aiming for my real body? But you had to realize that would fail." Zabuza's eyes narrowed.

The chandelier fell to the ground.

Kōju blurred forward. Her sword shot toward the water prison.

Zabuza's eyes widened. He lifted his sword. _After the _genjutsu_, I'm too damned slow!_

Kōju cut forward. The blade glowed white. The sword cut through the water. A crashing wave of water spread along the ground, striking into the earth rapidly.

The water collapsed to the ground.

Nōtō stood upright.

The fading rays of sunset dissipated into the night.

Nōtō's arms extended.

"I see. Most of it was just bluffing, but you had a purpose in your madness." Zabuza's eyes narrowed. "The whole time the objective was to get that blade to me. It appears to be similar to the White Light _Chakra _Sabre." He stared at the prison. "Basically, if you hadn't done that, the _chakra _buildup of the water prison might not have broken… Okay, you brats have some skill. But that isn't going to matter… I'm not merely capable of these clones. Release!"

Purple energy gathered briefly across the ground.

Zabuza lifted his sword.

Nōtō's eyes narrowed. "I've seen how that technique works… Your _chakra _won't work for it. What will you do?"

"Flame Style: Great Fireball Technique!" Zabuza roared, his hands clapping together.

Flames engulfed the ground. The stone melted rapidly, pieces of stone falling to the ground. The crimson flames rose across the ground.

Nōtō smiled. The heavy mace swung around.

The flames divided.

Nōtō rushed forward. He hurled down the club.

Zabuza's eyes widened.

"Orarararararararararara!"

A flurry of punches shot out of Nōtō's body.

Zabuza gasped as the punches hammered into his body. "What the hell… is this?" His arms relaxed.

"You're about to die." Nōtō's hand lifted. "Heaven Point!"

The hand plunged into the sternum hard.

A wave of energy shot outward.

A section of tiles flew upward.

Ice suddenly formed around the figure.

Zabuza froze over, his face wide with surprise.

"That's right… He is." A figure with a nearly identical appearance to Yokaze hung upside down from the ceiling of the castle. Frost surrounded the feet.

Nōtō's eyes widened. "Hm." He looked upward.

Naruto glanced between the two, scratching his head. "Aren't you over here?" he questioned, glancing back at Yokaze.

The ice crept over the form.

"Oh, dear. I've forgotten to introduce you…" Yokaze sighed. "This is my viceroy. Father could always tell the difference between us, but then, that was him." She bowed her head, glancing down at the corpse. "He pretended to be me."

"Pretended…?" Naruto frowned.

"Well, at any rate, it's done now. Zabuza-_san _is the type of opponent I can entrust to someone so strong." Nōtō rose to his feet. "I trust you don't mind. Our mission isn't done yet…"

The castle walls creaked.

Light poured through the broken wall.

Nōtō sighed. "Also, for the time being, Yokaze-_san_, I must request that one of us stay with you at all times. It is again for your own safety. Do you agree to these terms?" he questioned.

"My viceroy is entirely capable, Nōtō-_san_," Yokaze remarked with a certain heat in her words.

"I can't entrust your safety to someone I do not know. For the sake of this expedition, please be reasonable," Nōtō remarked, his face stern. He folded his arms across his chest.

"Very well. In that case, not the blond idiot, or that silent statue over there." Yokaze pointed imperiously at Naruto, then Sasuke. "The white-haired one."

Kōju grinned broadly.

"What are you…?" Naruto's eyes widened as he understood the meaning of the words. "Hey!" he shouted, shaking his fist. "I'll beat you up, woman! You don't even know my name—"

Sasuke punched Naruto on the head. She sighed quietly. "Let's move forward. Sensei, do you have a plan, or know what's going on here?"

"The beginnings of both. However, I am afraid that it implies a certain degree of deception hidden behind the scenes of this matter." Nōtō paused. "To a degree, if I am correct right now we are actors playing upon a painted stage." He rubbed his chin. "For now, let us repair to the local inn."


	8. The Continuing Struggle! Training Begins

The sky darkened. The castle grew grey in the light. A fading dot of embers fell through the sky. Trees and the forest grew darker, shadows casting along the ground. Winter-white trees covered the ground, their bases rising like bony ribs through the grass.

"Let's hurry along." Nōtō glanced over his shoulder. "For now, it's best we retreat for a while. Yokaze-_san_, please do not contact the viceroy regarding your current location. I have a certain idea that it is hard for me to ignore."

Waves spread slowly across the water covering the ground. A thin breeze blew the tapestries upward.

Naruto frowned. "What do you mean? Zabuza's dead, isn't he?"

Yokaze's face blanched. "Please do not speak of him in such a harsh manner…"

_Her spirit has returned somewhat. _"Even if that is the case, Naruto-_san_, someone hired him." Nōtō frowned. "Someone also hired those Hidden Mist ninja. If it was Zabuza-_san_, the matter ends there. But I have given up thinking that this world is so simple."

Naruto frowned.

Sasuke tilted her head to one side. "What do you mean?"

Kōju's eyes widened. "That's a whole lot of suppositions, Nōtō-_sensei_. Even if you stack them up, it's not a very probable scenario."

Nōtō sighed. "Probability… chance…" He looked upward. "This is where you usually stay, right?"

"Eh?" Yokaze questioned. She looked upward. "Yes. This is distinctly that location."

Nōtō opened the door.

Water dripped through the cracks in the wood ceiling. The inn lights flickered, paper lanterns dancing over the water-logged wood slats. The innkeeper inclined her head, regarding the _shinobi _without an expression. The stones shimmered in the entryway.

"If I guess rightly, probably Zabuza is still alive."

Naruto's eyes widened.

Sasuke frowned.

Kōju sighed. "But that doesn't work. For that to be true, that person would need to be complicit…"

"Haku-_chan _isn't like that! He's different!" Yokaze shouted.

"That thing's a guy?" Naruto demanded, his eyes wide.

The group walked up the stairs. The wood creaked beneath the feet.

"Listen. Just listen for a moment, okay?" Nōtō raised his hand. "There are two possible scenarios in my mind. Number one. Haku-_san _is aligned with Zabuza-_san_, and preserved his life for some other end. Number two. Whoever hired Zabuza-_san _has other subordinates. It seems unlikely that they'd put all their eggs in one basket. Having said that, if the second possibility is the case, they likely won't have anyone strong enough to combat us, but it's possible. Finding someone as strong as Zabuza-_san _must be quite difficult…" Nōtō coughed. "To put things simply. It's likely that they'll try again. If that is the case, the first, then we'll have a great deal of time to prepare; Heaven Point and the other take a great deal of energy to counter and act on bodies well. For the time being, I won't make any guesses on the person who hired them… Is this your room?" he asked abruptly, touching the golden doorknob.

"Yes, it is!" Yokaze declared. "I could hardly call myself a host if I let you sleep on the floor, so please, take the bed!"

The door opened.

A white four-poster bed lay against the wall. The rumpled sheets lay against the surface of the area. A table sat in the corner of the room, bright and shimmering beyond the sky.

"Hah! Well-said, young lady!" Roaring laughter echoed from the bed.

Nōtō's eyes widened. _I know that voice…_

The voluptuous woman in the bed sat up straight. Her crimson curls danced around her head in braids. She remained speechless for a moment. Long grey robes covered her body, marked with red thread. She brushed back her hair, her brown eyes widening. She leaned forward.

Nōtō screamed.

The woman grinned broadly. Jumping upright, she rushed forward. "Nōtō-_chan—_"

Nōtō's fist shot outward.

The woman flew into the wall.

The wood cracked.

"Good grief." Nōtō pushed up his glasses on his nose with two fingers, scowling. "Contain yourself, woman."

The woman straightened. She wiped a drop of blood away from her nose. "Good to see you haven't changed at all."

"Sensei, who is this?" Naruto demanded.

"Sifu, you've never spoken of this man before…" a girl with russet red hair remarked, pressing her fingers together.

"She's a very irritating woman… Kyakuzuki Miyama." Nōtō pushed up his glasses on his nose.

"He's Mura Nōtō… the former heretic temple priest of Hidden Leaf." Miyama smirked. "And he is a very hospitable man, when he's not angry."

"Heretic priest?" Naruto repeated.

"Hospitable?" Kōju questioned, her hand touching her chin and her eyes sparkling.

_This person was able to cause damage to _sensei… _He must be strong. _The small-bodied girl pressed her fingers together.

_This person took a punch from _sensei _at full power. She must be very strong. _Sasuke's eyes narrowed.

A tray of food arrived later in the evening, uncooked.

"At any rate, I'm a little surprised. You see, the elder Ranryū hired us. We were sent to keep an eye on Yokaze-_san_… We arrived a bit late for him, though." Miyama rubbed the back of her head. She took a large bite of the chicken, her sharp teeth showing as she swallowed.

Nōtō sighed. He pushed his glasses up on his nose. "May I assume that you gathered data on the way?"

"You could say that." Miyama smiled. "The most probable architect of the current problems is named Gatō. He is the leader of a large company. By manipulating these forces, he hopes to take control of a war, guide it, and get money from it." She shrugged. "At least, that's my guess. If Hidden Mist is involved instead, things could get messy… Regardless, I'm willing to bet that Zabuza is still alive at present."

"An interesting bet."

The genin set down their plates, having finished early.

"Hey! You two; what are we doing?!" Naruto demanded.

Miyama and Nōtō turned simultaneously. "Training," they responded at the same time, their faces stern.

"Training? What kind of training?"

"You two…" Nōtō raised his finger and pointed at Naruto and Sasuke. "Need to learn how to utilize _chakra_. Your current state won't cut it."

Miyama's lips curled upward. "As to you guys… Roha-_san_ and the white-haired girl…" She lifted her fingers. "You haven't got enough strength to beat these guys… So you need to start on bulking exercises."

Kōju's lip stuck outward. Her eyes glistened. "I don't want to become a muscle-bound freak like you!"

Miyama's eyebrow twitched.

Roha frowned. "Why now, instead of earlier?"

"We already know how to use _shakra_!" Naruto complained.

"Naruto-_kun_ is correct… though it's _chakra_," Sasuke remarked calmly.

"You won't be able to do anything unless you're strong enough." Miyama sighed. "For young girls like you, this might prove a little difficult, but you need to become very strong."

"Also, you're both wrong. You use _chakra _improperly and waste energy, so you can't be considered the same as the others in this regard. For you two… follow me." Nōtō waved to the pair.

"So what will we be doing?" Kōju asked, her lip still trembling.

"Workout and feasting regimen. Oh, yeah… Yokaze-_san_, you'll have to learn how to use your bloodline advancement, too." Miyama lifted her hand, pointing at Yokaze.

Roha groaned.

Yokaze sighed.

The wind blew around the hotel room.

**Price**

The forest rose outside. Waves swept along the ground. The white trees rose upward, bone fingers extended to the sky. The bark shimmered. The fading light cast a lurid red on the surface of the ground.

"You'll be climbing trees."

"Climbing trees?! What the hell is this?" Naruto demanded.

Sasuke scowled.

"You'll be doing it like so." Nōtō set his foot on the tree trunk. He walked upward, his foot shining with _chakra_.

Sasuke's eyebrows furrowed.

Naruto grinned. "That's awesome, sensei!"

"Basically, this teaches you how to control your powers and focus them properly. If you don't understand that, you waste energy—that's very bad. Stamina is best, so… use these." Nōtō hurled down two kunai. "Mark your progress with those. Make it all the way up the tree. You have one week to succeed in this training. If you can't do it by that time, you will likely die against those subordinates." He turned, walking back into the cabin.

Naruto's eyes narrowed.

Several hours passed as the day darkened into dusk.

Sasuke hefted the _kunai_. _Too much energy, and I can't ascend… Too little, and I stop._

Naruto sat motionless, his body shaking with exertion. _I can't keep going at this rate! _

**Price**

The room darkened. Straw covered the floor. The hut's chimney smoked, sparks rising through the surface of the ceiling. The circular hole pointed upward toward the stars. Light shimmered in the sky.

"Seems you Hidden Mist ninja are pretty poor after all…" Gatō smirked as he regarded Zabuza.

"You insulting me?" Zabuza questioned. His hand rested against the sword hilt.

Gatō smirked. "Of course I am. I'm questioning your ability to get the job done… you and those subordinates of yours…"

A blur passed through the air.

"I see."

The blade pressed against the side of Gatō's neck.

Gatō swallowed, his eyes widening.

Zabuza adjusted his grip on the sword. "See, that's a problem. You interfere with me, you stand in my way, you prove your own ineptitude. You know, there's an old saying—the performance of the subordinate reflects on the leader."

Gatō glanced sideways. "It's a good thing I have another subordinate, isn't it? Mirai!" he barked sharply.

A blue-haired woman flickered forward.

The sword slid backward.

A second katana pushed up the massive broadsword.

"Mirai, eh?" Zabuza smirked. "I've been waiting to fight you a long time."

The blade lowered.

"Please… do not fight in front of the children." Mirai bowed her head deeply. "That's not good…" Her blindfold fell over her shoulders.

Haku bent her head downward.

A white-haired girl looked to one side.

A wild-haired creature lay on the ground.

A boy with deep brown eyes looked upward at the pair.

"Che." Zabuza sighed. "Okay, we'll save our big fight for later. But hear me, Gatō. Insult me or my people again, and your head will be gone."

Gatou scowled. _Such an arrogant man…_

**Price**

The mat shifted slightly. The wood floor sank inward. The white bed shook slightly under the force of the impact.

Kōju groaned. "Ouch, ouch, ouch… Do child labor services know about this?" She forced her body upright.

Miyama smirked. "You're only at fifteen. We're needing till twenty before you can take your break." She adjusted her position on Kōju's back.

Kōju groaned. _I feel like I've already broken a rib…_ She glanced at the other side of the room.

Roha groaned as she forced herself up. "…" She looked with tears in her eyes up at Nōtō.

Nōtō shrugged his shoulders as he rested on Roha. "I'm lighter than she is, at least."

"Hey!" Miyama's eyes blazed. "You want me to beat you up again?"

The glasses glistened on Nōtō's face. "I'd like to see you try."

The pair stared venomously at each other.

Kōju and Roha met each other's gaze, their expressions weary.

**Price**

Wood shavings covered the woodland clearing. White bark littered the ground, covering the surface of the yellow grass.

Naruto forced his feet upward.

The bark exploded outward.

Naruto fell backward, groaning as he touched his leg. _Good thing it wasn't badly broken…_

Sasuke gritted her teeth. _I said I'd beat him… _She stared down at the body on the ground from her position on the tree. _But this guy is actually catching up to me. On the honor of the Uchiha, I will climb this tree!_

The bark fragmented.

Sasuke yelled. Helplessly, she tumbled down the tree.

Naruto's eyes widened. "Sasuke! Are you okay?"

"Fine, dumbass!" Sasuke shouted. Her hand ran along the back of her spine as she lay on the ground. _No fractures, and the surface seems fine. _"I hate you, you know? You can survive that fine, for some stupid reason like how hard your head is!"

"I hate you too!"

The pair looked in opposite directions.

Sasuke sighed. _I think I said what I meant to… at least a little._

Naruto scowled. _She's so irritating. I try to be friendly, and she reacts like this…_

"Did Kōju-_chan _tell you anything about how to do well on this one?" Sasuke asked cautiously.

"…That's a secret!" _Sure, I didn't get any help, but she doesn't need to know that! _Naruto grinned, forcing himself upright.

Sasuke's eyes narrowed.

Fragments of bark littered the floor.

"Fine, moron. I'll kick your ass anyway."

**Price**

A wind blew from the northeast. The empty market place hosted only a few remaining shops. Sawdust and lumber shared equal place in the smells rising. A few fish sizzled on the surface of metal.

Kōju sighed, rubbing her back. "I may have gotten all wiry, but I'm still a little girl." She lifted the grocery bag with trembling hands. "I'm all shaky now…"

"Hey! Tazuna-_san_!"

Kōju's head turned. _Hm? _She stared at the figure on the ground.

The old man's eyes darkened. He uncapped the bottle of water at his side and took a long drink before answering. "Yeah."

"I've been doing some thinking and this bridge idea of Ranryū-_sama_'s… It's not going to work! Everyone's going to—"

"At this rate, you're right. It won't get finished because everyone keeps leaving. At this rate, we're not going to finish it even in ten years." Tazuna scowled as he glared at the man. "Get a hold of yourself, Giichi!"

Giichi's eyes widened. "We're all going to die at this rate! Gatō's noticed! Let's just stop for the day…"

"Giichi." Tazuna sighed. "We made it because we believed in something… We believed in that old man. And we believed in his son. We believed in that thing…"

"Well, they're both dead because of Gatō now, aren't they?!" Giichi demanded.

"Dead or not, they gave us a cause, didn't they?" Tazuna sighed again. "Well, there's no point in arguing about this now… You have a wife and children. You're not an old washed-up man like me. Go on home… We have to get together something for our efforts."

Kōju walked forward.

Giichi inclined his head.

"You understand, of course, that I can't pay you if you don't show up to work."

Giichi nodded. "I'll figure out something." He walked into the distance, throwing down his tools rapidly.

Tazuna turned around, staring at the bridge. He sighed again.

"Something on your mind?" Kōju questioned, leaning against the crate.

Tazuna turned around rapidly. His eyes widened. "Oh… It's just you." He exhaled. "The ones who brought Yokaze-_san_ here."

"Eh?" Kōju raised an eyebrow.

Tazuna chuckled. "This town of ours… news travels faster than people." He tipped back the water. "I guess you came here for food for that Hidden Frost _jōnin_, right?"

"Mind explaining about Gatō?" Kōju questioned in a calm voice. "We only got a partial explanation in the briefing." She hid her trembling body.

"Well, you're only a little girl." Tazuna tapped his chin. "It seems fine."

Kōju smiled, relishing her little victory.

"At any rate… That's a very long story. If you don't mind, I'll explain from the start." Tazuna coughed. "Leaf conquered this province only a hundred years ago. I don't remember too much of my childhood with Yokaze-_san_'s great-grandfather, but I remember her grandfather. He was a great man, who spent much of his time developing infrastructure. And his son followed in his footsteps… There was only one slight problem."

"Which was?" Kōju prompted gently.

"The problem of Gatō. Gatō was a very clever man. He bought any contracts that came our way, in order to impoverish us. He bought the contracts for cheap prices to undercut us. Work dried up. By nature, this province is a 'builder's province', designated to make things anew. So we didn't have anything to do. The son of Ranryū Makiyo gave the annual stipend he received from Leaf on two projects; that tradition has continued even after his death. The first is renovating the castle…" Tazuna pointed upward. "The second is that bridge. If we could cross that bridge, we could likely sell our services for cheaper values. Gatō may be a ruthless cutthroat, but he is a businessman; he recognizes unaffordable losses."

Kōju's eyes narrowed. Her hand fell to her side. "The legacy of this country has been stolen… So this Gatō guy is just trying to bully you into submission and misery. He's just a bully." Her eyes grew hard, like emeralds. "I'm not going to let this guy pass."

Tazuna blinked in surprise. "What on earth do you mean by that?"

"In this country… No, in the world… there are still heroes! I'm going to prove that to him!" Kōju's eyes glistened like polished emeralds. "I'm going to beat him!"

Tazuna sighed wearily. "Look, kid—you're in way over your head—"

"Thanks." Kōju's eyes narrowed. "Thanks for the warning. But it's not necessary. I may be getting a little hot-headed, but I'm completely clear in my thoughts on the matter. Thank you again for helping me to understand the circumstances."

Tazuna rubbed his temples wearily as he looked out at the bridge. _That idiot girl… _He picked up the tools and walked over to the wood.

Kōju vanished in a flash of white light.

The stream glimmered.

**Price**

The forest glade grew darker. Leaves drifted down through the trees. The sun lowered. The white bark rested against the surface of the ground. Pieces of white bark pierced the ground.

Naruto reached upward, wiping off his forehead. He lay prostrate on the ground.

Sweat dripped off the surface of the face.

_Okay, let's see… that puts me at nine meters off the ground. _Naruto wiped a drop of sweat off his forehead. _I should be able to make it to the top of the tree soon. _He reached upward, his hands shaking.

A figure bent over Naruto.

Naruto gasped. Leaning backward, he slammed his head into the ground. "Ow!" he complained, rubbing the back of his head. "Too close! Too close!"

"Sorry, sorry." The figure giggled.

"Yokaze-_san_?" Naruto's eyebrows furrowed. "What on earth are you doing out here this early in the morning?"

"I am Haku."

"Oh. OH." Naruto frowned. Suspiciously, he stared at the figure. "Are you sure you're not a girl?"

Haku shrugged. "I might let you see, if you ask politely."

Naruto's head tilted swiftly to one side.

"Don't mind it. It's a joke." Haku turned his gaze down to the headband protector. "So you're the one Hidden Leaf sent…"

"Well, there were a few more of us, but yeah." Naruto scratched his forehead. "So you were trained in _ninjutsu _too, right?"

The sun dappled the leaves.

"No," Haku replied without an expression.

Naruto sighed. "Guess it's back to training for me, then." He forced his foot onto the base of the tree.

"Why are you training so hard?" Haku questioned calmly. "Do you have someone who is important to you?"

"Heh." Naruto tilted his head again, tapping his chin. "Yeah, I guess. The main reason is to become Hokage, though."

"You… as the leader of the Hidden Leaf's ninja forces?"

"Yeah, I—"

Haku collapsed on the ground, laughing uncontrollably.

"Hey, what's so funny?! Don't mock me, damn it!" Naruto shouted with red cheeks.

Haku recovered, straightening upright. Wiping tears away, Haku stated, "That was a surprise…"

The leaves drifted downward.

"Still. What is it that you want to protect?" Haku questioned.

"I want to protect my dream."

Haku's eyes widened.

"It's not about anything else. I don't care about the details of how or why, but my dream—and the dreams of others—they're something I'd like to see come true as the result of the work of my own hands."

The leaves drifted downward.

Haku's eyes widened.

Naruto's eyebrows furrowed. _What's the matter now?_

"You're going to become… very strong." Haku rose to his feet. "Let's meet again, in a different place than this."

The sky darkened.

Naruto blinked. _Crazy._

Haku walked away rapidly into the darkness.

_…I'm pretty sure that's a girl. _Naruto forced himself upright, sweat pouring down his face. _Let's move along…_

**Price**

The mostly deserted streets wound through the city. The smell of soot and embers rose through the city. Smoke burned in several huts. Water spilled over the edge of the stones.

Sasuke twirled her kunai in the air, whistling. Her black eyes stared up at the stars. _I made it to the top before that idiot, at least. _She threw the _kunai _into the ground.

A small boy stared at Sasuke from the darkness of a door step.

Sasuke's eyes narrowed. She turned sideways, her black eyes flickering. "What is it, kid?"

"You're all going to die tomorrow," the boy muttered sullenly.

Sasuke ran over to the doorstep. Leaning against the wall, she twirled her kunai slightly faster. "What's that, eh?"

"Why do you guys bother to try so hard? No matter how hard you train, you're never going to be a match for Gatō's men! No matter what you do, when facing the strong, the weak will only die!"

Sasuke's eyebrow twitched. "I got no interest in hearing your little speech. I'm not like you, kid."

"Good! I'd hate to be like you! You don't know anything about this country, but you're stepping into our problems… You don't know anything about us! Yet you act so cool, as if you know you're going to win—"

"Okay." Sasuke grasped the child by the collar, her kunai shoved up against his throat. "You know what? Shut up. You're right. I don't know a thing about you, or this country. And when facing the strong, the weak will only die. But you know something else?"

The child gulped, his Adam's apple bobbing.

"I. Don't. Care. You've lost family? You've lost friends? Try your entire clan in the space of a single night. See how messed-up that leaves you." A tear ran down Sasuke's cheek, but her voice remained at the same level, even tone. "And as stupid and sad as it is, my only friends now are that team. I'd never say it to them, but they are people I care about more than my own life. There's no way in hell that I'd let them die. I'm too crazy for that. Even if it costs my life, my sanity, they WILL live."

"You can't win…" the child sniffled.

"You're not the brightest tool in the shed, are you?" Sasuke tilted her head to one side wearily. "I'm not making a threat. I'm not making a promise. This is just what's going to happen."

The child looked upward. His emotionless face changed not at all as he listened to the speech.

"That's how things are… I'm sure you understand."

The floors creaked.

"I don't understand at all! To let yourself die for someone else… There's no way I could understand that!"

Sasuke sighed quietly. "I'll explain it then."

The sun dipped toward the horizon. Pink light filled the sky.

"Naruto is an incredibly stupid dumbass who tries to show off. I've got a lot of disdain for him, and he hates me because I constantly remind him of where he ended in the rankings."

The child's eyebrows furrowed.

"Kōju on the other hand is a disturbing pervert. She's advanced in mind but strange in thoughts, and I find myself constantly checking to make sure she hasn't tried to sneak into my bed."

"And… you'd die for those people?"

"In life, you have to realize what level of stupidity and flaws from others you're willing to put up with, and what kinds." Sasuke smiled faintly. "I can put up with them. So yes. I love them."

The child's eyes widened. _Leaf ninja… are completely insane._

"You won't tell anyone about this, right?" Sasuke demanded, her eyes narrowing.

The child nodded hastily.

"Good." Sasuke hurried up to the castle.

The moon rose.

The training of each completed. The night of the attack, a fortnight from the original death of Ranryū's former lord, the group went into battle.


	9. The Dual Path! Difficult Struggle Ahead!

The mountain path creaked. Stones fell from the covered the path. Old stones trailed across the path. Moss grew along the surface of the stones, gathering swiftly.

"Based on the information, the base should be somewhere around here." Miyama glanced over her shoulder. "You two all right?"

Kōju sighed quietly. She wiped a drop of sweat off her brow. "Just a little tired, that's all. I'll be a lot better once we've stopped those bullies like Gatō."

"They're not exactly… Well, maybe if you stretch the definition a little, but at any rate it's a bit difficult just to say that."

Roha glanced downward. "I wish we'd gotten to see more of the clothing shops…" She ran her hand over her face. "Well, that's his work—that guy's, anyway."

Kōju sighed. "Well, it's not like I disagree with you, but what's so important about clothes anyway?" she questioned. "Especially cosplay."

"The outfit captures the essence of the performer!" Roha clenched her fist, holding her hand up to the heavens. "It's necessary to capture the soul! In a good set of cosplay, these things are possible…"

A drop of sweat ran down Kōju's forehead.

"All right, hold up, kiddos. I'm getting a weird ping on my senses." Miyama raised her hand.

The two _genin _stopped on the mountain road.

**Price**

Raindrops fell from the sky. The tower shook slightly in the high wind. A set of stairs wound up the side, stone and ice mixing on the base of each stone beneath the sky.

Yokaze wrapped up her arms. She shivered in the wind. "Ugh…" She glanced down the spiral staircase. "Why are we on the offensive again?"

"Because we're not stupid. In a defensive mission, one of the standard parameters is that you defend one location… Surprise is a major advantage."

Naruto looked up the stairs. He gripped his _kunai. __That guy is probably here. I'll beat him and then show to Sasuke that I'm really qualified to be a _genin, _after all!_

Sasuke undid the fastenings on the scroll at her side, her eyes narrowing._ While he's probably not here yet, it doesn't hurt to be cautious regarding this matter..._

"Couldn't agree more."

Yokaze gasped.

Zabuza shot down the staircase, his sword slashing through the side of the building as he fell.

The stairs broke in two.

Zabuza continued to fall far below. The body splashed into water on the ground.

A flush of water spread across the stairs above Nōtō.

Nōtō's eyes narrowed.

Zabuza rose, his hand drawing out the blade.

"If you want to know the truth behind this matter, meet me at the top." Haku stood motionless. One arm extended to the side.

A flash of frost covered the stairs.

Naruto gritted his teeth. "To hell with that! I'll—" He started forward.

"Naruto. Take a good look at the stairs."

Naruto glanced downward.

Ice covered the stairs in a thick sheet.

"Oh." Naruto swallowed.

"Let's walk up very slowly and carefully," Sasuke suggested in a soft voice.

Zabuza's eyes narrowed. "You seem really comfortable… Don't think that same technique from before is going to work."

"I don't expect it to." Nōtō's glasses glinted. "Tell me something, please."

Zabuza inclined his head.

"My ability has two halves. Susano'o and Mikoto. What you experienced last time was Mikoto… Now. What on earth do you expect me to use? I can assure you, it won't be the same technique."

Zabuza's eyes widened.

**Price**

The desk drawer slid closed soundlessly. The window opened on the base of the river, showing a beautiful view. The sands, white and peaceful, shone beneath the sky.

Gatō rested against the desk, his expression peaceful. _Finally I get out of this ridiculous country… Such a backwater idiot place. So many uncomfortable hicks.  
_

The short figure emerged from the entry. "Gatō-_san…_"

Gatō's eyes narrowed. "WHAT?" he demanded furiously, his head rising. _Peace for a moment, now this?!_

"Three _shinobi _are about to assault your castle. What is… your command?"

Gatō's eyes widened. _Shit! _"Get to the barracks!" he yelled. "Arm the soldiers!"

"Agreed." The woman disappeared in a blue flash of light.

Gatō rubbed his temples. Reaching into the desk, he pulled out a clean white scroll. _This should do in case of emergency... For the time being I'll need to move. Hopefully Zabuza can finish matters by himself. _He ran out of the room, panting heavily.

The window blew open. Wind blew through the space.

**Price**

The doors at the base of the castle opened. The earth shook slightly. Soldiers rushed outward. The swords and spears lifted in the air.

Miyama grinned. "Looks like we have company. Roha-_chan_, I'll leave these to you." Her eyes narrowed. "Based on my _chakra _sense, there are at least two _shinobi _in that tower."

Roha nodded. Her arms extended.

Kōju ran forward, vanishing in a series of white flashes.

_The Flash Technique at her age…? Not bad, kid. Not bad at all. _Miyama leapt upward, her eyes narrowing. _But, she should be more cautious with her _chakra _after all. There's too much danger in overusing your _chakra _at that age. _She landed on the wall.

The archers gasped.

Miyama held out her arm, a feral grin crossing her face. "Earth Style: Crumbling Walls of the Mead Hall!"

**Price**

The tower top froze in a wave of pressure. White skies covered the heights, conveying a strange feeling to the nature of the world. The sky darkened, cold winds blowing over the surface of the stones.

"For the sake of that which I believe in, Yokaze-_san_, you must die." Haku lifted his _kunai_.

"To be truthful…" A faint, bitter smile crossed Yokaze's lips. "I thought things might turn out like this. To think that you would be so concerned with my humble personage. But, allow me to ask one thing. Is it necessary for you to produce proof that you killed me yourself?"

"Yes." Haku fell silent. His hand lifted in the beginnings of a seal.

"Fine." Yokaze smiled. "In that case…" She took a step backward. Her feet balanced on the edge of the wall.

Haku's eyes widened.

"You're quick, but I'm fast myself. If you attack too recklessly, I could be knocked off the edge and die like that. No proof there." Yokaze leaned backward slightly. Her black hair blew in the wind. "I'm betting my fate on these two. If they lose, I'll come willingly to your executioner's blade."

Haku's eyes narrowed.

Sasuke and Naruto glanced at each other.

"Don't get in my way… dumbass." Sasuke unrolled the scroll on the ground. Biting her thumb, she struck the scroll.

"Che. That's my line! Blockhead!" Naruto's fingers pressed together in a cross shape.

A variety of clones appeared around the top of the castle.

Drawing out the wood sword, Sasuke looked upward swiftly.

Haku drew up the sword, her eyes narrowing. _What on earth is going on here? These two... well, they shouldn't be a threat, but I have such an uncomfortable feeling in my heart..._

**Price**

The soldiers fell downward. Blood stained the battlements. The spines of the earth retracted slowly.

A door opened in the tower.

Miyama looked upward. A faint, twisted grin crossed her face as she lowered her arm. "Ah… It's been quite a while, Mirai-_san_."

"Not nearly… long enough." Mirai's lips curved upward as she lifted her hands. "You realize the situation… right?" Her left hand seized on the golden katana at her side.

"Yeah. Gatō's running like a bitch, right? Damned coward." Miyama's hand reached downward. She held out her arm. One of the swords of the guards, a large, wicked thing with a serrated edge, landed in her hand.

Mirai frowned. "Well, you seem… acquainted with it, so…" She reached upward, touching her blindfold. "I suppose that… I can use that…"

**Price**

The staircase descended into the depths of the tower. The tapestries on the wall shimmered, depicting scenes of ancient battle. The torches flamed in the light.

Kōju glanced from one to another, her eyes narrowed.

"This is our first time fighting. Are you sure we'll be okay?"

"We'll be fine! Us three together, right?" the wild-haired boy declared, knocking his fist against the other two's.

Kōju walked down the stairs.

"Here we go…" One of the _genin _lifted a blade, pointing the blade at Kōju.

Kōju's eyes narrowed, growing to appear like polished emeralds. "I have no reason to fight with children. Out of my way."

The _genin _grouped together rapidly. They blocked the passage as one.

**Price**

The tower's ice grew taller. Chunks of ice fell downward.

Naruto shivered. _Emperor... It's freezing in here... _He shook, rubbing his arms together.

Sasuke glanced over her shoulder briefly. _That guy's already peeling out... _She sighed. _Well, it's not like I expected too much anyway. _She blurred forward.

The wooden sword slammed into the needle.

A crack echoed across the top of the castle.

Naruto's eyes widened.

"Don't mistake me… Even if we are the same speed, it makes sense that the stronger weapon will win, right?" Sasuke smirked as she forced down the blade steadily.

"Yes… Technically, you are correct. But…" Haku rapidly twisted around his arm.

The arm caught Sasuke's arm.

Sasuke's eyes widened.

"The stronger weapon within this battle isn't that sword; it's the water at my command." Haku moved swiftly, forming seals with a single hand.

Sasuke gritted her teeth. _Like this— _She forced her arm free of the constraint.

_Special Technique: Demonic Ice Needles…_

_ Flame Style: Great Fireball Technique!_

Flames engulfed the needles.

The needles shot forward.

A few drops of water fell from the flames.

Haku chuckled, leaping backward. "That won't work against my bloodline limit."

Sasuke gritted her teeth, staring down at her foot. A single ice needle pierced the base of the foot.

The other needles drove through the surface of the stones of the tower.

"Like this, your superior speed is rendered meaningless, and I can pierce you."

Naruto's eyes widened.

"Even a single wound can be fatal in a battle between _shinobi_. You are now hopelessly hobbled." Haku leapt forward, holding another needle between his fingers.

Sasuke gritted her teeth. Blood seeped into the sandal.

"Clone Pile-on!"

The group of clones caught Haku in midair.

Haku's eyes widened.

Several of the clones puffed into smoke.

Haku's teeth clenched. _It's like being held down by a group of rather useless second graders… _He struggled.

"Get her, him… it, Sasuke!"

"You don't have to tell me twice, dumbass!" Sasuke lunged forward. The blade hammered into Haku's side.

Haku coughed. A loud snap echoed across the tower.

The clones dissipated into smoke.

_I'm in trouble now… I'm definitely getting pushed back. _Haku stood upright, dusting off the white robes. The hand formed a hand seal. "Special Technique: Demonic Ice Mirrors Technique."

The water on the rooftop rose swiftly.

Mirrors formed around Sasuke and Naruto.

Naruto's eyes widened.

Sasuke gritted her teeth.

"It's true… working as a team, it's possible for someone with that much of a _chakra _reserve and someone like you to beat me, even eclipse me, if I don't use my full power." Haku's image spoke from every mirror.

Naruto placed his hands together rapidly. "Shadow Clone Technique!" Clones filled the space.

Sasuke lifted her arms. "Manriki-gusari!" A chain formed in Sasuke's arms.

"Unfortunately, before my true power, all that is pointless. Let me show you a little of my speed."

A tempest of needles shot from the mirrors.

Naruto gasped in shock as the needles peppered his body.

The chain whirled rapidly in circles.

Each of the clones popped out of existence.

Blood splattered against the ground.

Sasuke gritted her teeth. She stared down at her hand. A single needle pierced the center of the hand.

Naruto's eyes widened. He stared down at hundreds of cuts across his body.

"That is my true speed."

**Price**

The stairway darkened with spilt blood. Blood poured from a series of wounds on the skin.

"You're in a strange position here… Nōtō-_san. _It doesn't matter what technique you use… I'm not one to fall for the same trick twice." Zabuza smirked.

Nōtō raised his hands. "ORARARARARARARA!" he shouted, his hands flurrying forward.

Zabuza stood motionless.

"Not even going to draw your blade before the end? At any rate, it's over. I've hit thirteen of your pressure points. You are already dead." Nōtō sighed, counting off the seconds in his mind. "Ten… Five…"

Zabuza drew his sword.

Nōtō's eyes widened. He jumped backward, falling onto the stairs. "What?!"

"I said it before. That technique won't work on me twice!" Zabuza grinned beneath his mask.

_It should still affect him. Is he truly some kind of demon? _Grasping his _kunai_, Nōtō blocked the sword. His eyes narrowed. _It's too dangerous to continue the fight here. _Leaping forward, he formed a seal with his hands wrapped around Zabuza.

Leaves fell to the ground.

Both fighters vanished.

**Price**

The battlements shook. A wave of pure crimson _chakra _rose off Miyama's shoulders. The air glowed.

Mirai's eyes narrowed. Slowly, she reached upward, undoing the blindfold little by little.

Miyama's eyes widened. "Hoh. Do I get to see it this early? The eye of the Sonozaki clan."

Mirai let the blindfold fall to the ground. Her eyes, deep green with flecks of crimson, opened. "Against you, there is no other choice…" A wave of energy spread from the eyes. The sword drew out of the sheath.

Miyama's eyes narrowed. Her hands lifted rapidly.

_Block, cross, stab. _A series of green outlines appeared before Mirai. Mirai's body reacted accordingly, dodging the strikes. The sword reversed.

Blood spilled onto the ground.

Miyama smiled as the sword pierced her right lung.

**Price**

The sparkling lights danced in the sky.

Roha smiled as she sat down quietly. "This is my world again…"

A web of white energy surrounded the space.

The group of onrushing attackers fell to the ground, wrapped in chains.

"Such is the power of _Seidr_, a _genjutsu _that changes the world_._"

**Price**

The earth trembled over the pair. The ceiling shook.

"You sure talk big, for a little girl!" the wild-haired one shouted. "We'll kick your ass!"

A white-haired girl caught the boy's arm. Her long, curled hair draped over her shoulders. Her blue eyes flickered to the door. "Watch out! She's really at a higher—"

"Shut up!" The boy's eyes narrowed. He rushed forward. "We can definitely beat her!"

Kōju clapped her hands together. She vanished. A flash of light surrounded her body.

The group's eyes widened.

"Thank you, but… I've no interest in playing with a bunch of bullies!" Sticking out her tongue, Kōju ran onward into the darkness.

"Ah, jeez."

"We gotta catch up!"

_Presumably Gatō has located himself within one of the tunnels. The objectively best path back involves going through Hidden Mist. _Kōju frowned. She stared up at the tunnel junction for a moment. _Let's see… _She dug into her pack, pulling out a compass.

Roars echoed through the darkness.

_Looks like they're coming for me. It's either the central or the right passage… logically, you'd want to build with the necessary passage closer to the surface than the rest. There's a meter water mark difference. Let's get moving. _Holding up her blade, Kōju vanished again. After a moment, she reappeared in the middle of the tunnel, clutching her stomach. _Ouch! Even with my improved stamina, it's hard to do so many Flash Techniques one after the other… Guess I'll have to move the old-fashioned way. _Kōju, gripping the blade tightly, ran forward through the darkness.

The water splashed.

_Still… _A mischievous grin crossed Kōju's face. _It's not impossible for me to set up a little deception._

A clone appeared beside Kōju, running onward into the darkness.

Kōju ran into the shadows. _I wonder what I'll find… I need to capture him before he crosses the border of the nations. If he gets to the Land of Water it may be truly dangerous…_

The water splashed in the tunnels.

_We'll see… _Coughing, Kōju came to a halt. _On second thought… this was way too easy. _She frowned. _I wonder if they figured it out…_

"Too late, moron! You've fallen into my trap!" The white-haired girl cackled. "Feast your eyes on your execution ground!"

The door slammed down. Black iron blocked the path.

Green mist poured in from the sides.

_Damn! That portcullis… _Kōju glanced over her shoulder. _I shouldn't have used so much _chakra!

"It's a powerful poison. It'll eat right through your bones!"

"Before I die, oh great and mighty one… I have a couple of questions." Kōju looked upward, her face terrified and shocked.

The girl scowled. "Shoot."

"Those two with you… What exactly are they?"

"Couple of Gatō-_san_'s thugs. They're useful for creating the image of a unified team despite my abilities. In terms of comparison, they're extremely weak."

"Despite? Interesting."

"Why do you ask?"

"Well, for the most part… Discounting that acidic technique of yours... You're a pretty poor _shinobi_."

The white-haired girl's eyes widened.

Kōju's body collapsed into dust.

_Was it a clone, or maybe the Substitution Technique? Whatever, she tricked me. She definitely tricked me! _The white-haired girl screamed. _You sneaky girl! I'm going to get you for this!_


	10. Preparation! The Insight Provided

The forest towered over the pair. Wintry white snow drifted downward from the height of the tower, crushing down on the heavy sky. The white trees rose around the pair.

"Is something the matter?" Zabuza raised the massive sword.

Nōtō's eyes narrowed.

"You stepped back our fight." Zabuza smirked.

"The way things are now… I'm not confident in my ability to kill you without involving my students. Well, even before it was like that, but now it's doubly so." Nōtō's eyes narrowed. "Susano'o Mikoto is known for producing one-hit kills. In essence, if I go on the offensive, you should be capable of dying. That you didn't… I need some time to consider." He stepped backward a pace. "That's the simple truth."

"My target isn't you. You're wasting my time." Zabuza's hand tightened on the sword.

"By all means, then…" Nōtō lifted his hands. His arms rose in the posture of a defensive maneuver. His feet planted firmly on the ground. "Kill me, should you feel so eager."

The sword stabbed forward.

Nōtō caught the sword within his hand.

Blood trailed from the palm. The iron metal stained crimson with blood.

_I see. Under pretense of gathering power for the attack... _"You tricked me. Maybe Leaf _shinobi _aren't as pathetic as I thought," Zabuza remarked aloud. He loosened his grip on the sword

"You don't tend to shut up, do you?" Nōtō rubbed his head wearily. "Well, in that respect we're probably similar types."

A silence followed.

"Anyway, I really am quite impressed. In this world, there aren't many people who can survive that attack not once or twice but three times." Nōtō glanced upward briefly.

"I said it before… You shouldn't show your technique over and over to an enemy. There's always a counter." Zabuza smirked. He adjusted his grip on the sword.

"Hm." Nōtō's eyes narrowed. "Mind telling me a little about that boy up there?" He pointed with his free hand toward the height of the tower.

"Hmph." Zabuza smirked. "Sure. Since you're going to die before you can fight him, it's not my concern whether you know about him. Besides... He's my pride and joy. He's been taught in many arts, and even I don't equal his strength… He's succeeded in all circumstances."

"Oh, you don't need to boast about all that. Humility is a virtue. If he's as virtuous as you say, he shouldn't quite concern himself over being so strong. I just wanted to ask one simple question." Nōtō looked upward, his glasses shining. "Has he ever fought in a serious battle before? Not an easy fight. A fight where he might lose his own life."

Zabuza blinked. "What the hell does that have to do with anything?" he demanded aggressively.

"People react differently when their lives are seriously on the line. There's no way of telling what could happen… Genii freeze up. Runts suddenly spring to life. When someone enters a battle that could take the life of another or themselves, their actions are entirely changed." Nōtō stepped forward. "It's a very important test, you realize. Blood is the first and only test of people."

Zabuza's eyes widened.

Nōtō removed the blade from his hand. His body lunged forward. "That's a limitation you personally are incapable of understanding. In short, you have never felt that fear of death. But that boy up there, I suspect, is quite different in this respect." The palm, knife-like, slashed through the shirt.

A scrap of cloth fell from Zabuza's shirt. Zabuza's eyes widened.

A black needle pierced the skin. Red skin rose around the needle.

"I see." Nōtō stepped backward. His eyes fixed on the needle. "That is the mark of acupuncture. Truly Haku is a male Yamato Nadeshiko. By puncturing your own body, you alter your pressure points."

Zabuza smirked. "Yeah… that's about right." He sighed. "Everyone, once they kill enough, loses that fear. So you're overestimatin' the trouble."

Nōtō's eyes narrowed. "It's true… such a simple method to counter that ability does exist, though it's difficult to use. It's been a long time since I faced someone of your caliber."

A pause followed.

"Well, at any rate, that's probably true. But the first kill is always the hardest, as well."

The sword flicked to one side.

"I've heard you Leaf _shinobi _can track blood, so I won't be giving your nose anything to reach.

The blood sank into the ground.

"Hidden Mist Technique."

Mist rose from the ground.

Zabuza faded into the darkness.

Nōtō gritted his teeth. _I apologize, my students. I should have taught you better... _His gaze, serious and solemn, regarded the fight. _I hope that you haven't been too badly injured._

**Price**

The clones flashed rapidly around the mirrors. Images reflected in the mirrors. The stones of the castle glimmered, the edges shining in the fading light of day.

"Are you sure you won't give up? I don't want to kill you here." Haku's arms rose. "We have dreams too-we other shinobi. We're not simply cold-blooded killers. We're the same as others."

"That's just being a coward. No matter how this turns out, you still have to kill Yokaze-_san_ yourself, right?! So you're just delaying things!" Sasuke smirked. "You aren't willing to cut out your heart yet!"

Yokaze trembled on the edge of the castle wall.

A moment of silence followed.

"Yes… You are correct," Haku admitted after a moment.

Naruto frowned.

Sasuke scowled.

"I am just playing around. I'm quite sure of that. I know that in truth, I have to act... But I'm not ready just yet. I'll test my fangs on you two."

Naruto's eyes narrowed. He drew out his _kunai_. _Shadow Clone Technique! If I fill this space, there's no way she can get us!_

The clones filled the space.

Haku sighed. _Well, it's not a terrible plan. But given my __speed it won't matter how many there are._

The body flashed forward.

Sasuke smirked. _We have you now. _Her hands laced together. Rapidly, the cheeks inflated. Sparks of flame spread from the surface of the skin. "Flame Style: Engulfing Flame Technique!"

A rush of flames burst along the ground.

The clones popped into nonexistence.

"What the hell, Sasuke?!" Naruto roared. "My plan was gonna work!"

"Take a good look." _If he hadn't distracted her, I probably wouldn't have had enough time. No matter how fast someone can move, there are limitations to their sight if they're distracted. _Sasuke smirked. _Which gave me that opportunity._

A flaming scrap of cloth fell to the ground.

Naruto's eyes widened.

The images reflected the damage.

A blackened edge fell from the uniform.

_Can he see it?_ Haku's eyes widened. _Can he see my motion? _She tightened her grip on the needles. _This guy should realize—it's not possible to reach me!_

Sasuke reached downward, pulling out her kunai. "My next move will be to impale her."

Naruto's eyes widened. _Wow! Sasuke really did get cool after all that time! _He grinned broadly. _I'll have to catch up soon!_

**Price**

Water dripped downward through the sewer tunnels. The pile of dust filled the corridor.

"A clone?!"

"Damn, she's fast…" The wild-haired boy scowled. _We'll roast her slow once we catch up with her, for sure. We can do that much._

"But why would you pick the right passage!?" The white-haired girl raved, tearing at her hair. "It makes no sense!" She gritted her teeth. _Arrgh! She's escaping from me again!_

_I picked the one that a smart person would not pick. She probably guessed our intelligence from us escaping through that passage._ Kōju ran down the passage, tantō in hand. _Likely she has a bloodline advancement… It would not be wise to fight her in an enclosed space like this._ Her hands clapped together rapidly. "Earth Style: Mole Burrowing Technique!" She descended into the earth on the side of the passage._ Like this I also have more information… She won't catch up with me so easily. _

"Hey! Hatake Kōju!" the white-haired girl shouted. "I can drown that entire town in poison, if I want to! You better come out and fight me!" Her feet planted on the ground. Her hands laced together.

Kōju's eyes narrowed. _If I were to follow the rules, I could leave now… More important, however, is to determine whether she is bluffing. If she is bluffing as I initially suspect, then this shouldn't be a problem._

The white-haired girl lifted her hands rapidly. Her cheeks puffed out. Dark green smoke drifted from the edges of her lips. "Infection Style: Dark Wind of—"

Waves of smoke spread outward from the lips.

The other two covered their mouths with rags. _It's no worse than Amegakure, usually. There's that much._

Kōju emerged from the darkness. _I'll determine it here._

Kisan smirked, her hands lowering.

"What's your name?" Kōju questioned, her expression calm and distant.

"Kisan." Kisan raised her hands, her eyes narrowing. "That's better… I don't like my opponents running in the middle of a battle."

"Hmph." Kōju's hands rose. Her eyes narrowed. "You picked the wrong environment to fight me in, though."

"Eh? What's that? I can't hear you over the sound of the poison seeping through the air!"

"With due respect…" Kōju's hands rose. "That's not what I meant."

Kisan's eyes widened.

"You're strong, but not strong enough." Kōju's hands laced together. "Especially in the area of _taijutsu._"

The thugs' eyes widened.

**Price**

Blood stained the battlements. The sky darkened. Clouds gathered over the castle.

Miyama reached downward. "So those eyes really can see it…" She touched the surface of her injury.

Mirai's eyes narrowed.

"You can see the immediate future. In battle, that ability is perfect against any opponent." Miyama grinned. "That's the kind of resplendent ability songs and tales sing of. It's quite different from most bloodline limits. It's even unique beyond the extent of what is considered possible."

"It's not as strong as… you make it sound. My eyesight… gets worse every time I use it… In fact… I can barely see most things, but it's enough. The outline." Mirai gripped the sword tighter. Her eyes narrowed, the milky pupils glistening. "That's really... it. I don't deserve... such praise."

"I'm glad you have a sense of honor." Miyama clapped her hands together. "There's just one little thing… I trust you haven't forgotten my bloodline advancement, either." A flash of silver shot forward. The hand extended.

_Chakra _blasted rapidly toward the body.

Mirai ducked downward rapidly. She stabbed the sword into the ground.

Miyama scowled. "Tch…"

"I know better… than to give you something to use… Magnetism Style on. If you use it… you gain a weapon. You can affect large objects better than something small like my little katana, but…" Mirai lifted her sword. "Better… to end it here." Her blade shot through Miyama's stomach.

Miyama's eyes widened.

Blood dripped from the body.

The sword glimmered, blood falling from the blade.

Mirai's face grew solemn. She tightened her grip on the sword. "I don't... like killing people. But you don't give me much choice if I am to protect my... employer." The mask glimmered, water dripping from the surface of the breather. She sighed, coughing as she regarded Miyama.

Miyama slid downward, her eyes wide and glazed.

"...Sorry." Mirai turned away.

The sky darkened with clouds of snow.

Slowly, the temperature dropped.

Miyama lay motionless, one hand caught in the pooling blood.


	11. The Danger of the Nine-Tails! Genkuro

**A/N: Since next week is Spring Break, I will be updating twice and not once next week. Now, on with the story.**

The earth trembled. The ground shook. The subterranean environment, cthonic in its distance and vastness, grew darker, the lights falling away. Torches darkened in the abyss.

"Before we continue…"

The tunnel darkened.

"I'd like to ask a simple question. Would you really have killed the entire town?" Kōju asked in a cold, clear voice. Her hand seized on the hilt of the short, small blade.

"Che." Kisan glanced to one side. "No… I was just playing around."

Kōju lunged forward. Her sword pressed against Kisan's throat. "Then we're good. Follow me; we're going for a walk."

Kisan's eyes widened. "Huh?!" _She's fast even without using that Flash Technique. I underestimated her... _She swallowed, glancing over her shoulder.

"You thugs… I'm holding her hostage." Kōju backed up, her sword still against Kisan's throat. She exhaled. _I have enough left for that…_ She backed Kisan into the first passageway.

Kisan's eyes widened.

The thugs growled. Their hands seized on weapons. Ignoring the threat before them, they rushed forward.

Kōju reached upward. Placing the blade against Kisan's throat lightly, she balanced the weight of the blade's hilt on her foot.

Kisan's eyes widened. _Huh?!_

Performing the seals, Kōju's eyes narrowed. "Heh."

The ceiling collapsed.

The thugs fell beneath the rubble.

Walls fell downward, forming several statues of bees that contained the majority of the corridor.

Kōju caught the blade lightly in one hand. "You're free to go that way."

A single path of white stone lay between the collapsed pieces of the wall.

"Whuh… Why?"

"I spared you because you are good…" Kōju faded into the wall. "As they were not," the voice commented from within.

Kisan's eyebrows furrowed. _That could be me under there…_ She stared at the rocks, her eyes wide with shock.

**Price **

The battlements shuddered rapidly. A piece of the castle collapsed downward. The edge of the battlements shook. The sky darkened with clouds, surrounding the space.

Miyama reached downward. The blood coalesced around her fingers, energy dancing across the surface.

Mirai's eyes widened. "Huh?!"

"Yeah… Magnetism Style: Sword of Bloodstained Iron." Miyama's hand surrounded the bloodied surface. A massive sword, in design curved and long, formed from the blood. "At this point, you understand a lot more of my motives. Iaijutsu."

The sword slashed forward.

Mirai blocked rapidly.

"At this point… It's between you and me now." Miyama's lips curled upward. A faint froth built at the edge of the lips, energy mixed with blood.

The sword shot forward. A loud clang echoed over the battlements.

Miyama smirked. "Swordsman to swordsman."

"I wouldn't have it any other way…" A tired smile crossed Mirai's lips. She danced forward.

A notch formed in the katana.

Mirai's eyes widened. "This is…" She took a step backward, staring at the blade. _My ancestral _katana _has been cut, now?!_

"Yeah. It's strong, huh?" A mad grin crossed Miyama's face. "Like me… I grow strong on the blood of my defeats."

**Price**

The ice mirrors rose around the battlefield. The height of the tower shook, ice creeping along the spilt blood on the ground. Winter-white snow drifted down from the height of the tower.

Sasuke stood motionless.

_Is he bluffing?_

The top of the castle darkened.

_If he's bluffing, then I know my path. If not…_ Haku lunged forward. Haku reappeared in the mirror directly behind Sasuke.

Sasuke's eyes widened.

Haku hurled a needle rapidly. The needle pierced Sasuke's back.

Sasuke choked. Blood spurted from Sasuke's mouth.

"Aw, what is that?!" Naruto demanded, his eyes widening as he glared at the figure. "You were acting all cool, and then you just let yourself get hit in the back!"

"Shut up!" Sasuke returned, her face reddening. "It's not like I had a choice, moron!"

"As amusing as your banter is, I don't have much time left…" _He made a mistake. His bluff didn't work. Still, of the two, he is the more dangerous…_ Haku's hand lifted. The needles shot downward as Haku moved.

Sasuke grinned. _Here we go._

The kunai shot through the air from Sasuke's hand.

Every mirror save the one behind Sasuke and the one Haku had escaped from shattered as the kunai pierced them.

Haku's eyes widened. Haku landed on the ground before impacting the chain lying across the ground. The mirrors collapsed, melting into nothingness.

"There." Sasuke smirked. "I… win." Crimson light glinted in the depths of Sasuke's eyes.

"The Sanzengan? You are the last member of the Uchiha clan, then." Haku lowered his hand, his eyes narrowing.

"Your mirrors have a slight weakness. At the instant you leave them… they can't be protected. You can't change your path mid-motion. Knowing that, I decided to give you a 'safe spot' to land at…"

"Wait! Sanzengan?" Naruto demanded.

Blood trickled out of Sasuke's mouth as she chuckled. "Sanzengan. The eye that copies all_ ninjutsu_, an eye exclusive to the use of the Uchiha… excepting bloodline advancements like Haku's, I can read anything."

"Anything at all…?" Haku blinked. "How impressive."

"But, unfortunately, it's too late for me."

"Why did you save me?" Naruto demanded fiercely.

"Could you have seen through her techniques? No. Naruto… you are the only person capable of beating her now." Sasuke feebly extended her hand toward Naruto. "Please... finish it..."

"No! I mean why did you draw her attention to you with that feint?!" Naruto hissed angrily.

Sasuke's cheeks flushed. "It's not as though I wanted to save you or anything, dumbass! I… just wanted to make sure that she ended up in the right line, that's all!" She cleared her throat loudly. "Don't… you dare lose, dumbass! I will fucking kill you in the afterlife!" Blood pooled on the ground. Sasuke spat blood onto the ground.

Naruto's eyes widened. "You haven't acknowledged me yet! Don't die! Don't die!" He shook Sasuke up and down rapidly.

"Of all the reasons to want to save my life, THIS IS IT?! YOU MORON!" Sasuke shouted.

Naruto fell to the ground.

Sasuke collapsed. Her hands shook, blood oozing from the wounds.

"Great. Just great. Now we can—" Haku started, staring at Yokaze.

A cold _chakra_ filled the air.

Sasuke swallowed.

Naruto's body lay motionless on the ground.

Haku's eyes widened. _He's already collapsed. An unconscious _shinobi _should not be capable of molding _chakra... _What kind of monster is this?_

Slowly, the _chakra _reformed into the image of a fox, momentarily, silver and glowing with recycled energy.

**Price**

The air darkened. The forest shuddered with dark lights. Echoing will-o'-wisps and dancing bog lights rose through the forest, echoing the ancient recollection.

"This _chakra_…"

Shadows crept along the ground. Clawing echoes of tails, remembrances of them, formed along the ground and the darkness.

"What is this? That kid really is a _jinchūriki_, isn't he?" Zabuza questioned, his head tilting to one side.

"Where did you receive that information?" Nōtō demanded, his eyes narrowing.

"Don't have to tell you." Zabuza scowled. He looked up at the tower. _That could be a problem. With where the kid is right now... she probably won't be willing to kill him immediately. That's a risk we can't afford. A _jinchūriki _has to die before the Tailed Beast can act.__  
_

"We don't have time. Probably… For both of us we have to finish this quickly." Nōtō gritted his teeth.

The shadows drew along the ground.

"My virtue is now about to be broken." Brown _chakra_ rose around Nōtō.

Zabuza's eyes widened.

"What do you say… Zabuza_-san_? Let's end this here and now."

The shadows twisted along the ground.

"Sounds interesting. But what can you do?"

"Sit down…" Nōtō slammed his palm into the ground. "And I'll tell you, soon enough."

**Price**

The tower shook, waves of energy spreading through the air. The stones crumbled at the edges, a few grains of stone falling from the surface of the breaking energy.

Sasuke's eyes closed. Blood trickled from Sasuke's mouth.

A silver-haired woman wearing a kimono of white with pink cherry blossoms embroidered into the lining stepped forward. Her silvery eyes flickered downward, studying the stones of the castle. Clawed feet stepped over the edge of the abyss. "Dear me. Quite the mess, indeed." She shook her head from side to side, stepping forward again over Naruto's body. "Well… Interesting. A pleasure to meet ya, Yuki Haku."

Haku's eyes widened. "Who… or what… are you?"

"Genkuro. Were ya more learned, ya might know that name as the personification of the mischief and darkness of the Kyūbi." The silver-haired woman stepped forward again. "On the other hand, I am not in need of yer name, or yer life's story. It is laid plain before me… a tragic death of your beloved mother at the hands of yer father. Yer abilities marked you, especially in Hidden Mist. Well, that's simple enough to fix."

"Fix? No! Don't come any closer!" Haku held out one hand warningly.

Ignoring the warning, Genkuro stepped closer, her foot trailing along the edge of the stone. "Isn't the definition of what that kid is a li'l interesting? You called him a monster earlier, so I figured you might want to know the truth about what he is and all that. The word '_jinchūriki_' has two literal meanings. The first is of course sacrifice. The second is… medium." Genkuro glanced over her shoulder. "The idea bein' that, when necessary, the Tailed Beast would be summoned through the power of the medium; when not, the medium itself would act as the seal. A peculiar and refined sort of act. A cunning act… Well… At any rate, I can straighten those crooked little crossways of yours." Her eyes flickered momentarily red. "A woman who forced herself to become a man, because her perceived father wanted it. How very inappropriate."

Haku reached upward. "I'll bite my own tongue if I have to! Don't come near me!" She grasped the needles tightly. _What is she talking about?_

Genkuro sighed. "Well, yer young yet." She sat down, her body fixed in a meditative posture. Silver energy rose from her body, taking the form of nine tails rising across the body.

Haku's eyelids suddenly drooped. _The air smells sweet... _She swallowed tightly. _Poison_? _Am I being poisoned?_

Genkuro's kimono twitched. A tail shot out from between the folds. "There, there. Don't worry. Yer mother is dead, so… I'll become her and start from the beginning…" The tail wrapped around Haku's eyes.

Haku fell to the ground. She collapsed, silver energy and fire dancing across the edges of her skin.

"Still, it's a li'l surprisin' to believe that she could remain standing after exerting herself so hard," Genkuro muttered. She sat down. Reaching into her pocket, she withdrew a saucer of sake. She took a long drink from the flask. A sweet smoke rose from the wine. "Well, that kid probably ain't gonna be happy with my plan at all. Not one bit. But, well, what the hell kin you do? It ain't like she'd be happy with livin' without a good reason."

Yokaze gulped. "...Um..." she started, her hand raised.

"Ah. Hey, you." Genkuro turned, her eyes narrowing.

Yokaze swallowed tightly.

"You interested in drinkin' wine?"

"...I'm underage," Yokaze replied, swallowing tightly. _I don't know how to respond to this..._

Genkuro sighed. "Ah, well. Worth a try. Ya know, both a' them put their lives on the line for ya. Least you could do is help 'em out a little."

"...I don't know acupuncture, and..."

"Heh. Blood loss is probably the bigger problem right now." Genkuro took a sip of the sake. "Just bandage 'em up."

Yokaze coughed. "Uh, right away, ma'am." She reached downward, tearing away a scrap of cloth from one of the uniforms and wrapping the cloth around the leg.

**Price**

The forest filled with smoke. The mist rose from the ground, spiraling through the trees like sinuous snakes.

Nōtō's hands rose. "Summoning Technique!"

A group of large bears formed on the ground, puffs of smoke surrounding them.

"You can't find me like that." Zabuza's voice came from one of the trees.

Nōtō smirked. "It's been a long time since I've fought such a worthy opponent… But you seem to be underestimating me. My power is definitely not the same as yours. I learned from experience."

Zabuza's eyes narrowed.

"True. That mist of yours is pretty annoying. But you're dealing with someone with years of experience… The best way to deal with mist on a sunny morning…" Nōtō's hands rapidly shifted.

Zabuza's eyes widened.

"Is to burn it away. Flame Style: Consumption Technique!" A wave of flames rushed outward from Nōtō's palms. The mist dissipated.

Zabuza tensed.

The bears leapt forward. One seized on Zabuza's arm, ravaging the surface.

Zabuza's eyes narrowed. "So you really are the heretical priest. Well, what happens now?" The demonic shape around Zabuza's body rose. "I could remake it, but…" Zabuza shrugged. "There's no point."

"I have seen your heart… you truly cared about your honor, and your justice." Nōtō clapped his hands together. "Whether you worked for your village or not is irrelevant. I will see to it that you are properly buried."

"And… the kid?" Zabuza asked after a moment.

"She will be given a proper burial." Nōtō bowed his head deeply. "Farewell… Momoichi Zabuza."

Zabuza's head bowed. A single tear fell from his eye. "When I die… maybe I'll finally become a true devil."

Nōtō's steel glasses glinted. "A strange aspiration. But I will place my blessing on it." The hands formed the Tiger seal.

Zabuza fell to his knees. Flames engulfed Zabuza's body. The clearing lit with flames.

Sighing, Nōtō spat water onto the flames, his fingers rising in a series of rapid seals. The smoke dissipated rapidly.

The charred body fell to the ground, injured, damaged and quite expired.

"What now, boss?" one of the bears questioned shortly, its growling voice echoing through the clearing.

"We go and check on those two." Nōtō glanced up at the tower. "The strength of the _Kyūbi_'s_ chakra_ doesn't seem to have altered…" Storm clouds rolled over the leafy clearing. Nōtō turned. He heavily strode toward the darkness of the castle.

"And Zabuza?" another bear, its coat the color of honey, growled in a mellifluous voice.

"You may attempt to bury him if you wish. Personally, I intend to leave that deed for a bit longer."

The bears nodded.

Too tired. A flickering light passed overhead. Nōtō stuffed his hands into his pockets. The rain pattered downward. "Strange…" _By now, Miyama should have concluded her fight. That frozen gorilla of a woman is quite proficient in such arts. Perhaps her opponent is a bit stronger than usual...?_

**Price**

The battlements filled with blood. Bodies of guards rested against the ground, blood spilling into the holes between the trenches. Stone crumbled under the impact of the blades, the strikes knocking away more and more of the surface.

Blow, counterplay, blow.

There was no art to Miyama's strikes, no grander design. Each strike was simply strong. Yet Mirai fell back, even with her foresight. Even her artful, dedicated swordplay could not reach Miyama.

The blades clashed together.

_How long… has it gone on?_ Blood splattered across Mirai's front. _I can barely see anything anymore… Who is this I see? In front of me, this…_

Miyama cackled loudly.

_I can't see anything… _Mirai gripped the sword tightly, her hands shaking with lost blood. The fingers slipped on the deep blood.

The blade collapsed to the ground.

"Damn." Miyama scowled. She ran her finger across a white bird skull around her neck briefly.

_Eh?_ "You… are letting me go?" Mirai questioned, her eyes wide.

"Yeah." Miyama's fingers flickered. The bloodstained flakes fell to the ground. "I got something to see the future too. A little bit, at least." Miyama smirked as she released the hilt of the blade. "I see us meeting again someday. Plus, your boss is already away, so there's no point in interfering with your life. You did your job. You held that line long enough."

_This person… They're very unusual, after all… _Mirai's face twitched, her expression still surprised.

Miyama smiled. Reaching downward, she picked up the blindfold. Her hand extended, blindfold in hand.

Mirai accepted the blindfold. She wrapped up her eyes. "Thank… you."

The battlements shook slightly.

Miyama turned away. She stared at the sky, her expression without facet or particular feature.

**Price**

A wall of stone rose across the ground. The edges of the stone glistened with water. Pores formed in the higher rocks, and occasionally more of the sea water slipped through.

Kōju stared upward. "That looks like the boundary." She ran her fingers along the edge of the stone. "There are more pore rocks. Also, the water level rose about in that tunnel…" She sighed. "Well, at least we know where Gatō went. We can request his presence from Hidden Mist later, as a criminal of war."

The ground trembled.

Kōju reached sideways. "Earth Style: Mole Technique." The wall gave in. Kōju swam through the solid rock, eventually emerging above the surface of the ground. "Goodness gracious! Is it really that time already?" she demanded, staring at the winds and sun. "Well, there's no time for it—" Kōju clapped her hands together.

A white flash flickered around Kōju.

Kōju groaned. "Owow." The flash dissipated. "I've definitely overused my chakra. I'll have to improve it some. Also, I need to work on rationing it, unlike certain teammates." Muttering, Kōju walked along the path.

The forest creaked. Echoing darkness filled the sky.

Kōju stared at the darkness.

Slowly, the castle came within view.


	12. Third Coming of the Demon! Terumi Asahi

**A/N: As promised, the first of two updates this week. Also, while I applaud every effort to remove SOPA, PIPA, CISPA, and their nefarious ilk from Congress's docket, I am rather confused as to why someone would put that information in a review. Wouldn't other social media platforms receive more attention than one review on a not-particularly-famous fanfiction story?**

A white tapestry of swordsmen hung on the wall. The iron castle grew darker. A throne rested in the center of the room. The massive throne glimmered in the center of the castle room.

Porous stone comprised the walls.

"I barely escaped with my life! You bastards promised me protection, not this!" Gatō shouted.

"Shut the hell up, you reckless, brainless moron." A red-haired girl with bright blue eyes glared at Gatō. Her thin, narrow body leaned closer, tensed. A long, light sword rested at her side. "Did you even think before you walked in there? You had one job. One incredibly simple job. And you went and screwed up ALL the work we put into it! We created the opportunity for a new country. But no matter how much money you have, you can't recreate that opportunity. Your incompetence destroyed the perfect plan we made."

Gatō's eyes widened. "Mei! Discipline your niece!"

Mei smiled. "Shut up… She's technically correct in her statements. Asahi_-san_, please continue."

"Thanks." Asahi glared at Gatō. "One incredibly simple job."

"There were two jōnin! You can't possibly expect me to—"

"'There were two jōnin!' There's a reason shinobi aren't typically hired to perform protection missions. Know why? Because we suck at it! Next question. With all your resources, why the hell did you fail?" Asahi asked, her eyes narrowing and her scowl growing more furious. Her deep blue dress grew tighter across the body as her muscles tensed.

Gatō's eyes widened. _The Terumi family really is hot tempered… Perhaps I shouldn't have come here in person._ "We were unlucky. We—" he started, taking a step backward.

"Those sound like excuses to me. They sound like excuses to you, Aunt Mei?" Asahi questioned, glancing in Mei's direction. She took a menacing step forward, ignoring Gatō's retreat.

Mei inclined her head.

"Knew it. Definitely excuses. Matter of fact, I'd say we got pretty lucky. Kuroi Unmei didn't take a personal interest in the mission. If he had, things wouldn't have turned out so well. We just had a bad agent." Asahi accelerated her pace, stepping within range of a sword strike. Her hand grasped the sword at her side."Now. Question number three. Do you know what it is that separates a feudal lord like you and a ruler of a country like the Mizukage?"

Gatō's eyes widened. "That seems pretty irrelevant—"

"Wrong answer, super dumbass!" Asahi slammed her palm against the table. "The correct answer is, the Mizukage can make you disappear without money!" Her hand drew the sword rapidly.

Gatō gasped. He ducked his head downward.

Asahi chopped through the neck in one clean slice. Blood sprayed across the table. The head rolled onto the ground. Asahi knelt. Drawing up the head, she lifted the head with glasses wearily, the blood staining the hair. "You know, it always gets stupid after the initial bloodlust. When you realize that you have a head and body to dispose of…"

"You always act prematurely," Mei remarked gently, her eyebrow rising as she stepped over the spreading pool of blood.

Blood soaked through the pores and into the surface of the white stone. The porous surface grew darker, crimson and solid shadow.

"We bring the head as proof that we weren't compliant with this guy. No war happens. Everybody's happy." Asahi wrapped up the head in white cloth. She reached downward. Drawing out a clean golden cloth, she sanitized the length of the long, thin sword. "Well, everybody except Hidden Rain, but who cares? Not like they're going to file a petition."

Mei smiled. "You have your father's wit about you as well… Ah, yes. I nearly forgot. Aren't the _chūnin_ exams coming up?"

"Yeah." Asahi briefly grinned. Her sharp teeth glistened in the light. "I'm really looking forward to it."

"Well, don't kill anyone." Mei sighed. "Realistically speaking, you won't be forgiven... in the worst case, you'll be tried as a criminal and killed, or sent to Blood Prison."

"But there are so many evil people in the world…" Asahi sighed. She bit her lip. Crimson blood flowed freely from the mark of the white, sharpened teeeth.

"I know how you feel about justice, dear. But these are the kind of feelings that must be locked away to live in polite society." Mei sighed. "You know how I am about my age." She ran her hand through her hair. "I feel almost as though I'm getting grey hairs already..."

Asahi ran her fingers across her chin, wiping away some of the blood. "Heh. Fuck that." She looked up at the ceiling. "You're never gonna get old, Mei-_oba-san_. Even if you get old, you're still gonna be Mizukage."

"I'm charmed by your faith in me." Mei smiled broader. "I'll dispose of the body. In the meantime, take good care of his head." Mei cleared her throat. "We know some methods for disposing of these things. Suffice it to say it'll be done..."

"That's fine…" Asahi smiled. "This exam ought to be interesting." She turned, sharply, and called out, stepping outside the ancient castle. "Oi! Suigetsu! Kiai! Where the hell are you two?!"

**Price**

The house creaked. The smell of the sea, salty tang and bitter wind, filled the small storage room. Yellow sunlight descended from the window, marking the brown whorls a deeper brown. White clouds, puffy and beautiful, drifted by the window.

Sasuke folded her fingers across each other. She cleared her throat. "...So what happened to Miyama-_san_?"

Nōtō scowled. "That woman comes and goes as she pleases. Now that the mission's done, she's seen fit to vanish again." He rubbed his chin. "Granted, that's the case with most Frost ninja."

"...So we won?"

"Winning and losing aren't necessarily connected with success. In this case, the mission was a success, and we won. Sometimes things don't turn out so pretty. Even in a case like this..." Nōtō glanced toward Kōju. "Are you all right?" he asked in a concerned tone of voice.

Kōju nodded. She glanced downward. "I...just need some time to think about things. That's all it is."

A pause followed.

"Who wants to tell him?" Nōtō questioned quietly.

Sasuke glanced at Kōju.

Neither of the pair raised their hands.

"Someone has to do it!" Nōtō stated in a firmer, louder voice.

Sasuke sighed. She stared out the window. _To be honest, I'd prefer just not to tell him it exists at all. In point of fact, I'd like to forget it ever happened._

"The power of Yaka isn't simply something we can let him not know about."

Kōju winced. _How overbearing. Well, that's Nōtō-_san_ for you, all right... Can't we just leave things be?  
_

"NŌTŌ-_SENSEI?!_" Naruto shouted down the stairs.

Nōtō rubbed his temples. "Pardon us. Naruto-_san _just needs a word of explanation." Rising to his feet, he entered the room, glancing briefly toward the form on the bed. Patting Naruto on the shoulder, he escorted Naruto into the main room of the small house.

"What's with her—him?" Naruto glanced up the stairs, shuddering. "It," he finally decided.

Haku covered her shoulder with the blanket, her expression distant.

A small child hid behind the banister of the stairs.

"Apparently you let the demon fox out for playtime," Sasuke remarked. She leaned lightly against the wall. "Haku wasn't a boy. She acted like one to convince the dad and Zabuza. But…" Her eyes narrowed. "She's a girl."

Naruto blinked in surprise. "When you say playtime, it…"

"Rewrote all her memories in order to make her your obsessive… wife-like-matrimonial-thing."

"Not the most romantic in the world," Kōju conceded quietly.

"I… but—" Naruto stammered, swallowing tightly.

"We're not blaming you. You were out as much as I was after the first part of the fight." Sasuke glanced toward the white-haired girl in the corner distantly.

"But we need to make things better. It's not right leaving her like this." Nōtō sighed. "From what I've gathered or put together on my own, the fox used the power of Yaka, an illusion without peer, to rewrite her memories. She's therefore alive, where if she had failed her most important person, she probably would have died and rather quickly at that."

"What do you suggest? Renovating our apartment and making a bedroom for her?" Naruto suggested sarcastically.

"In reality…" Nōtō nodded slowly. He rubbed his chin. "It's been a long time since I did a good deed of that level. In addition, it is necessary for me to make some amends to Zabuza-_san_'s spirit for what we did."

"Wait. You're serious." Naruto swallowed.

"I could see it," Sasuke agreed quietly.

Kōju nodded. "Well, we already share the house, right? We just add another area!"

Naruto's eyes widened. "You're serious? What am I going to do about her sneaking in? I mean, you saw her eyes up there!"

Sasuke sighed. _As usual, blockhead, you're an idiot. We didn't see anything like that... Well, there's probably not much danger involved._

"Don't worry. If it's that, I'll watch you carefully." Kōju tapped her chin. "Only if it's kissing and maybe some light necking, though. If it's more than that, I'll stop her."

"Well…" Naruto exhaled. He rubbed his head. "I guess that's all right. Are we going home?"

"Not yet." Nōtō's face grew stern. "Well, eat breakfast. Then we head out."

Naruto nodded, subdued by his teacher's unusual firmness.

The light fell through the window. The table, dressed in white doily, shimmered under the light of day and summer-bright heat.

The eggs tasted of salt and sea beauty. A fish accompanying the meal tasted well as well.

"Come along, Haku." Naruto patted Haku's shoulder. "Get dressed first," he added as an afterthought.

Haku frowned. "I don't have any clothes," she stated reluctantly.

Nōtō cleared his throat. He reached into his pack, throwing an enormous jacket toward the form.

Haku smiled. _It's the first gift I've received from someone besides Naruto-_sama!

**Price**

The clouds passed overhead. White snow covered the grave. The sky darkened. Rain clouds gathered over the grave. A single colossus of white stone drove up out of the ground. Sticks of incense lined the surface of the white stone. The grass darkened with dew.

"Zabuza-_san_." Haku bowed her head. She clapped her hands together.

Naruto's eyes widened.

Kōju bowed her head. Her green eyes flickered as she studied the stone. She ran her finger along the edge of the white stone. When she retracted her finger, a black mark appeared on the stone.

Nōtō clapped his hands together. His body bent at the waist. The head scraped the edge of the shrine, a little blood falling from the scraped skin.

Naruto swallowed.

Tears ran down Sasuke's cheeks.

"Are you… are you crying?!" Naruto's eyes widened.

"Shut up!" Sasuke rubbed tears out of her eyes. "It's… it's not like I'm crying for his noble sacrifice or anything!" She cleared her throat, tightly looking downward.

"Are we _shinobi _only tools?"

The rainclouds darkened.

Haku prostrated herself before the shrine, completely ignoring the question asked.

Nōtō blinked.

Sasuke's eyes widened.

Naruto scratched his head. "Huh?"

"Someone I fought said that," Kōju stated quietly. She pressed her fingers together, looking downward. "Was she right? Are we _shinobi _only tools, to be used and disposed of at will?"

"Tools…" Nōtō looked downward. "You can answer that yourself. To the Hokage… your role is indeed that of a tool. But everyone is a tool in their profession. Someone who does things, changes things. What that person is, who they are beneath that surface, that can be an entirely different answer."


	13. Legendary Trials! The Chūnin Exams Begin

**A/N: As promised, the second update this week. We've finally entered the _chūnin_ exams!**

Wind blew along the ground. The smell of black soot filled the air. The woodlands grew hot, ashes and smoke rising through the air.

Kōju blinked as she stared into the woods. "What's the matter? I don't understand exactly, but something's the matter with that fire." She frowned after a moment. "Should we report it in to _sensei_?"

Sasuke glared into the darkness. Scowling, she finally stated, "Che. You can if you want to."

Kōju bit her lip as she glanced sideways. _Ugh. Sasuke_-chan_ has been like that all week. No, longer… Ever since we got back from Wave Province, she hasn't spoken much. Though, to be fair, Haku's presence back there is a little odd; it is strange to be living in such a place… But even if someone did try to kill you…_ Kōju frowned. _No, to be honest, I wouldn't know what I'd do either. _"Want to go get some ice cream?" she asked, meeting Sasuke's eyes as she offered her hand.

Sasuke scowled. "I'm curious," she stated suddenly in a cold voice. Her eyes narrowed. "Is your answer to everything ice cream?"

Kōju winced. "Well, I, er..."

"Have you ever felt like a teammate carried you through a fight?"

Kōju nodded. "All the time!" she responded brightly. "Why do you think teams exist in the first place, Sasuke_-san_? We're a team, right? We're supposed to back each other's weaknesses!" She took a sip of the juice.

Sasuke's eyes narrowed. "That's not good enough for me!"

Kōju's eyes widened. She frowned, setting down the drink. "Then what do you want? Some glory? You want to be like a samurai from the Land of Iron?" she questioned coolly. Her green eyes narrowed as she stared at Sasuke. "Is that your desire?"

Sasuke's hand clenched into a fist, crushing the cup.

"Don't be such a baby." Kōju stared coldly at Sasuke. "You think you can take on people like that by yourself? Monsters like Haku aren't uncommon. In this world, we can't fight alone—wait! Be patient! Train! And in the meantime, recognize that we are your precious allies—no, your friends!"

Sasuke scowled. She turned toward the cup. "It's ruined. I need to go throw this away." She rose to her feet, walking over to the trash can.

"Sasuke—"

"I heard! But working together with you three is only holding me back!" Sasuke hurled the drinking cup into the trash can. "Ever since the first day… I don't need friends! I don't need allies! Ever since the first day you've only talked about teamwork, when I need to be ready to kill people. I have to do it on my own, and you two are useless!"

Kōju gasped in shock. Tears ran down her face.

Sasuke scowled. _More fake tears. I'm tired of it._

The crowds passing by glanced toward the table. Several glares went Sasuke's way. Several minutes passed.

Kōju wiped at her eyes with the cloth, her eyes still filled with tears. "Did I fool you?" she questioned between heavy, sobbing breaths. "It looks… like it worked… this time…"

Sasuke blinked in surprise._ She should have stopped them by now. Is it possible that I really did upset her that much?_

"It's… not like… I got really upset… over what you said…" Kōju drew in a shuddering breath. "It's… not like… I worried about being alone again…"

_Am I being manipulated?_ Sasuke's eyes narrowed. _It doesn't seem like it…_ She cleared her throat, quietly, and reached across the table. Her hand patted Kōju's hand lightly. "I didn't mean what I said. Sorry."

"Then why… would you say something… like that… to begin with?" Kōju sniffled, her eyes rimmed red.

"Because I'm frustrated. I'm frustrated and angry and tired of doing C-rank missions. You're not… a burden to me. I'm my own burden. If I was stronger—" Sasuke caught herself. She withdrew her hand, looking downward. "If I was stronger, I wouldn't have these stupid feelings."

_You're already plenty strong enough… you have the_ Sanzengan _and all._ Kōju winced, pressing her fingers together without speaking a word. _Isn't that good enough? Why do you need all this power?_

"Where's Naruto? Or for that matter our _sensei_?" Sasuke questioned, changing the subject rapidly.

Kōju blinked. "Good question."

**Exam**

The doors burst open. The shop bustled with activity. People reached inward, buying small beads, food, and bottled water. The bazaar resounded with shouts of offers and desires, a market without peer.

"Come back here, you little runt!" the voice barked. A painted-faced man rushed through the streets, surprising quick despite his baggage of the wrapped-up tool.

Several townsfolk looked on, saying and doing nothing. A small snicker echoed from the lips of one red-headed teenager.

Naruto gulped, clutching tightly to the purse. _It's not my fault he didn't see me take it at first! It's mine now!_ He rushed onward, his hand tightening on the leather surface. _What the hell even is this? Snakeskin?_

"Kankurō-_kun_, quit it! The brat has no idea what he stole to begin with!" a blonde-haired teenager shouted down the street.

_BRAT?! Okay, that does it!_ Naruto whirled around, his eyes blazing. "I'll kill you, woman!"

The blonde-haired teenager sighed, rolling her eyes heavenward. "It's no longer my problem…"

Kankurō growled. "You seem to have a problem with authority, brat…"

A figure stepped out from the shadows. "Hey… You guys shouldn't be here yet." Shikamaru yawned, standing between Kankurō and Naruto calmly. His hand touched a kunai lightly. "The exam doesn't start for another week."

_ He's not a bad-looking guy…_ The blonde-haired teenager's cheeks flushed slightly as she stared at Shikamaru.

"Yet another guy who pisses me off. You know this brat stole my money?"

Shikamaru raised an eyebrow. "You did, Naruto?" he asked calmly.

Naruto shrugged helplessly.

"And you call yourself a _shinobi_?"

"Shikamaru_-kun_!" Naruto shouted, his eyes wide.

"I was talking about this guy… If he's so incompetent that he can't even figure out when his money is being stolen, then he doesn't deserve to enter the exams to begin with… So I think."

Kankurō growled. "Okay, I changed my mind. I'll kill you first!"

"You an idiot?" a loud female voice demanded. The sword glimmered at the side of the red-haired female.

"Yet another irritation…" Kankurō turned.

"We're not allowed to kill other participants before the exams start, you dumbass!" Asahi barked, her hands tightening on the sword. "Though if you're willing to go on record as starting the bloodbath, I've no objection…"

"Shut up, all of you. You're so noisy." A quiet, chilling voice disrupted the conversation.

Naruto turned, swallowing at the bloodlust emanating from the source.

Asahi frowned as she examined the opponent.

A red-haired boy hung upside down from the tree. His green eyes stared at Naruto coldly. "Return the pouch."

Naruto swiftly hurled the pouch back to Kankurō.

Kankurō caught the pouch, his eyes narrowing.

"Now that's taken care of… Neither of you deserve to be_ chūnin_." The boy glared at the blonde and Kankurō. "I apologize for their actions. I am Gaara of the Sand Waterfall."

**Exam**

A crowd of figures gathered around the Hokage's throne. A tapestry draped over the entrance to the hut. Straw filled the room. The central fire glimmered, flickering different colors as the flames ascended higher.

"Well, you probably already know why I've called you here." Hiruzen reached outward. A white carrier pigeon descended onto Hiruzen's arm. Hiruzen unwrapped the white scroll on its leg. He read it quietly, sighing after a moment. "Well, to be fair, I didn't expect that Warrior of _Shinobi_ to arrive… That said, please sit down. We'll be discussing the exam… I'm sure you're already aware that we've been chosen to host it this year. The trouble lies in when? The answer is… From the first night of the seventh full moon, it will begin."

Nōtō rubbed the back of his neck.

Flames rose through the air. Smoke twisted up in the tent.

"Well… this part is largely a formality, but if you want to promote any _genin_, you can enter their selection forms. Ideally they have something like fifty missions under their belts… but eight or more is acceptable."

_He doesn't need to ask… they aren't yet ready. None of them are._ Iruka shrugged his shoulders as he looked at the others.

"Mura-led Team Seven, Hatake Kōju, Uchiha Sasuke, Uzumaki Naruto… Under the name of Mura Nōtō, I nominate them to take the exam."

Iruka's eyes widened. "What?!" he demanded, standing upright in his chair.

Kakashi's visible eye grew wide. "Hokage_-sama_… I'm inclined to agree with Iruka_-san_…"

"Yūhi-led Team Eight, Hyūga Hinata, Inuzuka Kiba, Aburame Shino. Under the name of Yūhi Kurenai, I nominate them to take the test."

"Sarutobi-led Team Ten, Yamanaka Ino, Nara Shikamaru, and Akimichi Chōji. Under the name of Sarutobi Asuma, I nominate them to take the test."

"GAI-LED TEAM—"

"Pardon. Maito Gai, could you please lower your voice?" Wincing, Hiruzen rubbed his temples.

"Gai-led Team Five, Hyūga Neji, Rock Lee, Aburame Shiba! Under the name of Maito Gai, I nominate them to take the test!"

"All of them?" Hiruzen rubbed his temples. "What a headache…"

"Hokage-_sama_! Just a minute!" Fist clenching, Iruka stood upright. "You can't simply let these _jōnin_ do as they like! These twelve students… it's far too early for them to be taking this exam…" He trailed off, inhaling. "Further…"

Nōtō stood upright. "Iruka, you're wrong."

Iruka's eyes widened.

"Right now… you're not the one who's seen them in the most situations. That's me. They're going on about some kind of battle… Hopes and dreams…" Nōtō sighed. "They don't understand the most basic thing about being a _shinobi_. Until that time, they won't take being a _shinobi_ seriously… this exam is the best way to teach them."

Iruka's eyes narrowed. "You say that, even though Kakashi is in the same room?"

Kakashi stood motionless, looking neither way.

"He probably understands my reasoning. He doesn't like that I involve his cute daughter, but they need to be taught a lesson." Nōtō cleared his throat. "On an unrelated note. Hiruzen_-sama_… has that person entered?"

"Yeah… three Frost genin." Hiruzen cleared his throat.

Nōtō's lips curled upward. _This ought to be interesting._

Iruka glanced at Nōtō, his eyes concerned.

"Also... that man himself has come to observe the proceedings. My old friend." Hiruzen smiled faintly. "With that, the exam should be safe..."

Nōtō blinked in shock. "..."

A silence fell over the group of _shinobi_.

**Exam**

Dust blew up across the ground. The trees shuddered, wind blowing through the branches. The street slowly emptied of onlookers.

The two redheads stared at each other silently.

"When someone gives their name, it is common courtesy for you to respond with the same," Gaara stated in a calm voice.

The sword slid upward. Asahi tightened her grip on her sword. "Are you stupid? Threatening people with bloodlust isn't especially courteous, either. I don't see any reason to permit you to continue living, with that arrogant attitude."

Naruto gritted his teeth. He gripped his kunai tightly. "Hey! What about me?"

"Shut up or I'll tear you into small pieces," Gaara stated, glancing coldly at Naruto.

A drop of sweat ran down Asahi's forehead.

Naruto swallowed. _Okay. That could have gone better._

A white flash of light appeared across the ground.

Gaara's eyes widened slightly. Sand rose, blocking the cut.

"Don't threaten my teammates near me." Kōju's eyes narrowed. She gripped the small sword tightly. Leaves fell to the ground.

Gaara reached sideways. He pushed the sword down slowly. "You guys… You're starting to interest me a little." He sighed. "I need to know your names before I kill you." He stated the facts as though he expected the pair to understand.

"Hatake Kōju, and Terumi Asahi." A figure dropped to the ground, brushing dust off his robes. "And I am Chinmoku, of the Furnace."

Gaara smirked silently. "You two pieces of offal. Let's go." Sand engulfed the group.

Kōju's eyes narrowed. "Flash Technique…" She paused. "It's no big deal… If they're here for the chūnin exams, then probably we won't meet them again. Come on, Naruto_-kun_."

"Hold on. Naruto_-kun_?" Asahi questioned, her eyes narrowing. "Uzumaki Naruto?"

Kōju frowned. "What's that to you?"

Asahi smiled after a moment. "Nothing… It's not like I like that moron or anything."

"Come back here!" Naruto shouted, shaking his fist. "I'll show you… Ugh!"

Kōju, smiling, elbowed Naruto in the stomach. "We'll probably see you around, right? Nice to meet you, Terumi_-san_. Bye!"

The pair vanished. A flash of white light surrounded the bodies.

Asahi sighed. _Seriously, one of these days, you're going to need to be more polite to people._

Naruto scowled. "Why are you acting like this? I could've—"

"If it's not Sasuke_-chan_, it's you…" Kōju looked downward, tears pouring down her face. "What did I do wrong?! Is it my hair? My face? Why won't you guys let me in on your problems?! I swear I'll try… to help…!" She broke down completely, sobbing loudly.

Naruto gulped. "Uh…" He looked upward.

Sasuke scowled at Naruto. "You stupid bastard, I just now got her to stop crying! What did you do that made her start up again?"

Naruto shrugged. He swallowed. "What should we do?"

Sasuke sighed. "Okay. Let's try to get her back to normal." Several minutes passed. The pair cajoled, invited, and persuaded Kōju to listen stubbornly.

Finally, Kōju returned to her normal form of happiness. A glint shone in her green eyes as she glanced at the pair. _Yes! By getting them to cooperate, I can force them closer together… and harem end will finally be a go between us three! _

_I just felt a chill…_ Naruto shivered, rubbing his arms.

Nōtō landed on the ground. "Sorry about the delay." He placed the forms on the ground. "I've nominated you for the _chūnin_ exams…" His glasses glinted. "Well, if you want to participate, it's up to you. Fill out these forms and put them in by tomorrow afternoon, third floor of the main administrative building."

Naruto's eyes widened in shock.

Sasuke gasped with enthusiastic glee, demonstrated for the first time in a while.

Kōju's shoulders slumped.

"Eh?" Nōtō looked upward, his face surprised. "You don't want to do it, Kōju-_san_?"

"No, it's…" Kōju glanced downward. "It's nothing," she stated in a lower voice.

_I can fight strong guys, like that sword person and the painted-faced guy!_ Naruto thought to himself, a grin crossing his face.

_I can train and get better… maybe I can unlock the additional forms of the_ Sanzengan. Sasuke's lips curled upward briefly as she folded the form neatly.

_It's not that I don't want to participate. I want to test my skills. I want to get better beside my friends. The trouble is…_ Kōju sighed quietly as she vanished into the roofline of Hidden Leaf. _The trouble is if one of us makes it and the others don't. I hate that competitive spirit. If that happens, the team will just keep pushing further apart…_ She landed, stuffing the form into her pocket. _Ideally I can force us out early on… or something…_

**Exam**

The sun rose over the city. Twin doors blocked the path into the room. The darkness covered the alcove of the door. The corridor trembled. Shadows filled the free spaces of the hallways, darker and colder.

Kōju landed on the perch of the window to the building _I might be able to back out of it. If it's just those two, they'd probably lose…_

"Let us through!"

"You moron!"

Blood splattered across the ground.

Naruto gasped.

Sasuke caught Naruto's falling body. "That's irritating, all right."

"The _chūnin_ exam is harsh… You shouldn't try to take it so early." A pair of Leaf shinobi stood in front of the door.

Kōju's eyes widened. She smiled after a moment. "You've already noticed… Right, Sasuke_-san_?"

The air rippled. The image shifted.

Sasuke smirked. "This is only floor number two."

Naruto blinked. "Huh?"

"Not bad, but you're not in a position to fight for it yet!" The guards raised their hands. One knee spun forward, toward Sasuke's face.

The air blurred.

Sasuke's eyes widened. "Elm Reading."

One hand blocked the attack from the left.

The _shinobi_'s eyes widened. _He blocked it so easily...?_

Sasuke's eyes narrowed. "Neji…_san_." Her hand slowly lowered.

"I'll be waiting in the semi-finals. Try not to drop out before then." Neji turned and walked away calmly. His blue eyes flickered with energy.

"You know that guy?" Naruto asked suspiciously, his head tilting to one side.

Sasuke nodded. _It's weird to see Neji-_san_ trying so seriously, when he believes fate decides everything..._

A flush entered the cheeks of a boy on his knees. He stood upright, staring at Kōju.

Sasuke blinked. _What's he after?_

"Hey. My name is Rock Lee… and what is the name of the beautiful maiden before me?" Lee questioned, his eyes wide.

"Kōju." Kōju stared flatly at Lee.

"Kōju! A beautiful name of a beautiful young woman! Let's go out together. I'll protect you until I die!" Lee threw a thumb up. His teeth sparkled as he met Kōju's eye.

"I don't even know anything about you! You're creepy, like an eel… by comparison, these two are a big fluffy robin and a cute little fox!" Kōju's tongue stuck out.

A vein in Lee's temple throbbed. "An eel…?" His eyes narrowed. "You… Uchiha Sasuke. Let's fight here and now, shall we?"

Sasuke's eyes narrowed. "There isn't much time before four."

"I'll wait only ten minutes."

A pause followed.

"Let's go… Kōju-_chan_, Naruto-_san_." Sasuke hurried down the corridor.


End file.
